


The Frontier Belles

by Laurentia



Category: Downton Abbey
Genre: Alternate Universe - Western, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-11
Updated: 2017-03-11
Packaged: 2018-10-02 17:50:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 56,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10223774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Laurentia/pseuds/Laurentia
Summary: Recently married Cora Crawley finds herself robbed, lost and widowed in quick succession on the way to begin a new life. In the little town she takes refuge in she begins to carve out a new life but all is not what it seems.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Written for NaNoWriMo and utterly AU to the show. Several things to know: there will be femslash and lots of it, there won't be much of characters I don't like, you must assume this is a Marlene Dietrich style Western rather than having any relevance to the actual old west.

Cora ran. She knew nothing but the hard ground beneath her sore feet and the hot sun beating down on her exposed skin as she tried desperately to put as much distance between herself and the group of attackers…bandits…goddamn hooligans were what they were!

She didn't dare to look back as she stumbled over a tree branch, unable to see the ground through the tears streaming down her face, and righted herself with a whimper at her now scratched shin. It was nothing compared to what would happen to her if she didn't keep running for all she was worth though! Those _people_ had been armed and she was positive she'd seen Robert hit the ground in the midst of her panic but what could she have done to help him? He would want her to live wouldn't he, rather than die on the road with him at the hands of people who had offered them the possibility to pass if they handed over everything they had. But Robert had tried to be brave and now she was a widow before she'd ever been a proper wife!

She kept running. Her breathing was hard and ragged and hurt her chest but despite the sickness she had kept moving. Behind her she heard horses – how close they were she didn't dare to look – and cried out quietly, reaching up to swipe at her tears and dropping her skirts in the process, promptly tripping over them and falling onto the dusty ground. She breathed in instinctively and choked on the grit she inhaled too, coughing and spluttering on the ground and wriggling around until she could see behind her.

There was nothing there and it didn't look a bit like the landscape there had been around her in the carriage. The bandits were nowhere to be seen and she breathed a sigh of relief, careful to keep her mouth away from the ground this time, before panic set in once more. She was in the middle of nowhere, had nothing on her but the clothes on her back and _they_ were falling apart, and she had no way of letting anyone know where she was. Tentatively Cora got to her feet, letting out a moan of protest when she realised how thin her thoroughly impractical shoes had become: good grief, she might as well walk barefoot!

She took a few practice steps and it wasn't too bad. The ache was still there but as long as she was able to go at her own pace it was unlikely to get much worse, although god only knew where she was actually going to go…

Behind her she heard a thumping noise and frowned at the horizon. Slowly, agonisingly so it seemed to Cora, the black horse that had been carrying the masked figure with the red scarf – the man who was clearly in charge and had pulled the string of pearls from Cora's neck – came out of the blazing midday sunshine. Cora's heart sank and she turned around once again and ran, ignoring the pain in her feet, unsure whether she'd been seen but not taking the risk and not stopping to catch her breath.

What felt like hours later Cora lost one of her shoes and didn't bother to pick it up, partly because she was still scared enough not to dare stop running, but mostly because in the distance – and she was sure it wasn't her imagination – she could see a town.

Running from the gap in the mountain range with no other goal in mind but getting to the safety of the unknown place and the first building she came to, Cora lost her other shoe.


	2. Chapter 2

The young woman stumbling into her bar in the middle of the afternoon made Sarah O'Brien stop dead in her tracks. Even in this town trade was slow at this time of day, most either being at whatever people did for work around here, tending to their homes and families and pretending they wouldn't prefer to be in her bar, or they were next door at Rosamund's missing the evening rush. So luckily for this poor cow there was no one in the saloon when she burst in, tears streaming down her face and clothes – well underwear was really all she had left – half-falling off from where it was torn. Sarah raked her eyes up and down the girl who looked frankly like she was about to collapse with tears and terror and raised her eyebrow.

"You've been robbed I take it?"

Dark curls tumbled over bare shoulders as the woman nodded, seemingly unable to make any noise beyond a strangled sob. Taking pity on the poor thing Sarah held out her hand and led her into a back room, away from any potential prying eyes, and kicked the door closed behind her, giving them some privacy from where Thomas was cleaning glasses, feigning disinterest and Gwen had resumed smoking in the corner of the room before her shift next door began, after having shot to her feet to help. They were good kids but both had a tendency to put their feet in their mouths and Sarah had a feeling this woman wouldn't be thinking too clearly in her state.

The dark wood that lined her backroom was soothing and cool, her respite from the rest of the bright and gaudy bar that the customers loved so much, and she had a feeling that the calmness might help her new guest to feel better. Within a few moment she realised how mistaken she was as the girl continued to shake and looked around the room as though something was going to jump out of a corner and eat her. Sarah reached out her hand but refrained from touching her just yet, the red skin on her arms looked painful and it would probably only make the skittish thing jump a mile in the air.

"Shhhh, you're alright now. Look around – there's nothin' 'ere to hurt you."

The girl did as she was told much to Sarah's surprise and slowly her movements became less erratic and she met her gaze. Sarah smiled at her gently and spoke encouragingly.

"What 'appened to you?"

The woman tried fruitlessly to hold up her the remains of her corsets but the laces having being yanked clean away and presumably being part of the swag were not helping her attempts. Sarah reached forwards carefully and wrapped her fingers around the material, holding it in place for a moment before realising that bothering to do so really was waste of time.

"There's no need to be shy around me darlin' and it'll 'ave to come off for you to put somethin' else on anyway."

Hoping the woman wasn't going to assume she was cut from the same stuff as the people that robbed her Sarah yanked the corset down, leaving her in her loose chemise and eliciting only a squeak of weak protest from her guest,. It was a fairly ineffectual piece of clothing though – the straps falling down thin arms relentlessly and, Sarah supposed it wasn't really a problem if it was under something, it was more or less see through in this light. She looked purposefully in her face and wondered if she had a single article of clothing that would fit this girl.

"What's your name?"

"Cora," the response came quicker than Sarah had expected and was immediately followed with, "Levinson. Please don't hurt me."

Sarah affected a soothing face and crouched down an inch or two to meet Cora's eyes, the nervous little thing had lowered her head and looked as scared as a new colt. She supposed it wasn't unexpected given the things she had been through but if she was going to help Cora then they'd get nowhere if she kept staring at her feet.

"'m not goin' to hurt you darlin', I want to help you."

She moved to the nearest table and poured some water into a glass with every intention of handing it to Cora before she saw something that made her breath catch in her throat. Bloody spiders got everywhere and this one…she narrowed her eyes at is as she recognised the markings and prayed Cora didn't decide to start wriggling unduly in the new five seconds. Without thinking to warn the other woman, knowing all it would do was scare her, Sarah tossed the full glass of water over the semi-concealed chest in front of her. Cora squeaked again in utter indignation but, Sarah was pleased to note, seemed to have come out of her trembling reverie a bit.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Sarah smirked and stamped her boot pointedly on the floor, feeling the satisfying crunch underfoot and making damned sure it was dead.

"Getting' that spider off yer dress."

She moved her boot aside to show Cora the now squashed black widow spider on the floor, making the woman lift her hand to her mouth in shock before batting wildly at her chemise with her free hand.

"Are there more?"

"No, you're fine. It's rare to come across 'em up 'ere really."

This didn't placate her and looking like she was getting more uncomfortable by the second Cora scratched at the free skin she could reach, pulling her sopping dress away from her breasts to look down the hole.

"It feels like they're all over me."

"Well, 'm promising you, they're not," forgetting about the water, she didn't think it would quite do the trick for Cora now, Sarah reached for a whiskey bottle and poured a sizable amount into a glass. "'ere, drink this down, it'll make you feel better."

Cora took it immediately –glad not to have this one thrown over her – and knocked it back as she was told. She spluttered slightly and a few droplets of amber liquid made their way down her chin before she wiped them away as delicately as she could. But she got it down her and looked up at Sarah with the first ghost of a smile.

"You're not from round 'ere are you love?"

Sarah banged on the wall casually and suddenly, making Cora jump out of her skin with the noise and had she still had any whiskey in her glass it would have joined the water on her sodden front. Good god, was everything she encountered today designed to give her a heart attack?

"Sorry about that darlin', just bringin' in some back-up."

"Back-up?"

Sarah smirked at her and didn't answer, instead retrieving a cigarette from the mantelpiece and lighting it with the flourish of a match. She observed Cora critically and Cora felt her skin tingle with the scrutiny as Sarah offered her the box and she shook her head; she felt strange around this woman, undeniably safe, but like she was trapped in a cage with a lion that was sworn to protect her.

"So, where're you from?"

"New York. Our coach was attacked by…well I don't quite know _who_ they were or what happened. One minute we were fine and then there were guns and men were shouting and they took all my things and ripped my dress off and I think they might have shot my husband."

She spoke breathlessly at the end, her hand coming back up to her mouth and her eyes darting between the glass still in her hand and the bottle on the table.

"Can I…?"

"'elp yourself love."

Cora did just that, pouring an even larger measure and contemplating it as though it were insurmountable before knocking it back in two determined gulps and not spluttering a tiny bit. Sarah couldn't deny she was a bit impressed.

"Take it easy darlin', it's strong stuff."

Cora didn't seem to hear her but she did put her glass down and turn to her smoking hostess with desperation on her face. Sarah gestured for her to pour herself another drink, something she declined to do for the time being.

"What am I going to do…you haven't told me your name yet."

"Sarah."

"Sarah…What am I going to do?"

She looked like she was holding back tears and though Cora had no way of knowing Sarah wouldn't think any less of her if she did, she still felt as though she _could_ cry in front of this woman if she absolutely had to. But Sarah's kindness made her want to be strong. That and for reasons she didn't truly understand, she didn't want her face to become blotchier than it already was. She didn't want Sarah to think she was a complete write off after all. Even in her most desperate moment she was still a born and bred society girl and wanted to keep up appearances.

For her part Sarah merely smiled warmly and balanced her cigarette on an ashtray, coming closer and placing her hands on Cora's shoulders. From her position of closeness and being slightly taller Cora could see right down Sarah's heaving, tightly-packed in bodice and though she was sure the whole point of such clothing was to make people look she didn't think Sarah would appreciate her roving gaze.

"You'll stay 'ere as long as you need. I've got plenty of rooms need fillin' most of the time and I won't hear any arguments. You're goin' to be my guest…and I don't take a lot of guests in unless they can do something for the bar."

"I'm sure I can do something." Cora thought it was absurd – her husband had been shot only hours before and she had spent the elapsed time running for her life and feeling her feet ache and her skin burn – but the thought of staying in this bar was oddly exciting.

Her life had been so boring up till now though. Born a governor's daughter to parents who adored her and kept her away from all the hardships of life: she knew it was churlish to not be grateful for this but when she had received her first abusive comment on the streets of New York at the age of fifteen there had been limited sympathy for her tears from anyone around her. She'd been kept mostly indoors with her governess – the less said about _her_ the better but rumour had it she had run off with a French _woman_ and the scandal had been enough to keep young Cora fascinated with her all her adult life too – and as such was positively useless out of doors. Robert Crawley had seemed like a good prospect and they'd been travelling to California under his Mother's instructions to see what could be made of this late gold rush – many people had already made a great deal of money and using his new wife's capital Robert Crawley had sent a crew of workers and was hoping to be rich beyond his wildest dreams.

Cora snorted with internal amusement; Robert wouldn't even have _her_ money now and if she ever made it back to New York she was sure her parents would be able to re-coup most of it before it was all lost. It wasn't so bad after all, they hadn't agreed to sign it all over to him upfront – Cora was their only child and her comfort needed to be preserved. For now though, Cora thought with a flutter of excitement that her young and admittedly handsome husband had never caused, she'd quite like to live for herself for once and take this kind woman's hospitality.

"I can play the piano and sing a little…" she looked round at the décor of the backroom. "I might not know the songs your customers like but I'm _sure_ I could learn them, I'm good at learning things."

She felt like a silly little girl, and a wet one at that, but Sarah didn't look that different in age to her and though Cora was sure the shorter woman had lived a lot more, perhaps she wouldn't be mocking and cruel. Sarah smiled at her and squeezed her shoulders with a wink and a smile and guided her towards a seat.

"I'm sure you will. I'll get Thomas to teach them to you, 'e 'ates playin' the piano for the plebs, as 'e calls my loyal customers."

"Although… I'll want to send a message to my parents as soon as possible and go home so maybe it won't be worth it.

"Well you're stuck here for tonight 'm afraid, the post office closes at midday, but you can do it tomorrow an' stay here till you get a reply, alright?"

Cora smiled and nodded. If she could just get some clothes on then maybe things would start to make better sense? The day had begun terribly and she had gone through the single worst experience of her life, but somehow, once the panic had passed, it gave her a clarity she had never possessed before. She was alive and had apparently had the good fortune to stumble across a kind woman who was liberal with her whiskey, good at spotting spiders and was offering to put a roof over her head and help her get home but in the meantime…

"Does this mean I'll have a _job_?"

Sarah laughed, soft and low and Cora didn't detect the slightest hint of mockery, only amusement and she couldn't help but smile. She supposed it did sound a little bit silly but the idea of having a _job_ had never, ever crossed her mind.

"I s'pose it does, but I won't be able to pay you much 'm afraid."

Cora hadn't thought about the financial side of things, the thought of having a _job_ and being obliged to do a certain thing at a certain time was odd enough but being given money for it was even stranger. She was so used to being given money for nothing and she wondered whether being given money for work would feel different – did she really want it? Sarah didn't exactly look like she lived in the height of luxury.

"I don't need money. You're looking after me, that's enough isn't it? Is there anything else I can do for you while I'm here Sarah?"

There was a bang at the door outside and the quick patter of footsteps and Cora felt her heartbeat increase with anxiety. She glanced at Sarah and the woman didn't seem to be worried so Cora thought she was probably safe, she trusted her new friend without rhyme nor reason and only hoped she hadn't placed her trust in the wrong person.

Quite suddenly another woman appeared in the doorway, a red-head with a green dress that was falling dramatically down her shoulders, eyes glinting in anticipation and looking a little bit puffed out, as though she had run all the way here. She cast her eyes upon Cora's sopping dress and Cora could have sworn she heard a whimper coming from the very depths of this woman's throat, however, the perfectly painted lips soon formed into a half-charming, half-feral grin.

"Oh Sarah darling, I came as quickly as I could. You haven't snared one for me have you?"

"Shut up Ros, she's been robbed an' she's a bit shaken. I wondered if you could get 'er somethin' from your extensive collection next door. Preferably something that actually covers 'er up, she's not for you."

Cora looked between the two women with wide eyes, wondering wildly how many articles of clothes this "Ros" owned that _didn't_ cover one up! As far as she was aware that was a requirement of clothes, but clearly not for this woman. She looked like the sort of woman that her Mama had always told her about in a hushed whisper – a woman of the _night_ – but she'd always been told that being a whore made a woman lose her looks and grow old and there was _nothing_ old or ugly about this woman. She was a few years older than her, no more than ten, and she looked in the very peak of health and prosperity, even if she did seem to have come out of the very disreputable house next door that Cora had staggered past earlier, not even her terror forcing her to go into the dimly lit and very crowded looking house. The bar next door had seemed a great deal less terrifying.

But…Sarah didn't want her to earn her keep _there_ did she? She'd said Cora could play the piano for her and she was happy to do that but surely Sarah wasn't about to hand her over to this woman who, for all that she wasn't unpleasant on the eye, definitely possessed dubious morals.

Rosamund looked at Sarah wryly, unimpressed, but rather amused, at the request. This delectable little creature didn't deserve clothes, it was criminal for anyone to look that good and they should be taken off her immediately and- She stilled her thoughts and smiled widely at the newcomer.

"Hello darling, I'm Rosamund…I don't _think_ we've met before, I'm sure we both would have remembered."

Cora looked at the hand that was being offered and wondered quite what Rosamund would have done to make herself memorable. She remained in her seat, forcing the woman to come to her, but took the proffered hand and gave the newcomer a small smile.

"I'm Cora and," she glanced over at Sarah who was casually leaning against the mantelpiece, smiling softly at her and encouraging her with her eye. Cora felt herself relax and turned back to the new woman with a more confident smile. "I'm new in town."


	3. Chapter 3

Cora could not pretend she wasn't nervous about tonight. After meeting Rosamund, and the woman dashing back next door to find her some new clothes, coming back five separate times until Sarah had decided the dress was even remotely appropriate, Sarah had drawn her a bath and left her to soak her aching body and good god, how it ached!

The warm water – and bubbles! How on earth had Sarah produced so many bubbles? – lapped around her newly sun-touched back and arms and felt a lot less painful than she had imagined. It seemed Sarah had been right and the slight redness did not necessarily mean her skin was burnt beyond all recovery and instead the water was soothing away all the aches she had gathered during her frantic run away from the terrifying bandits on the trail. Her feet were not nearly as bad as she had imagined, Sarah had given her a peppermint smelling salve to put on them after she'd bathed them and she sighed as she tension began to leave her.

The thought of what might have happened if she hadn't escaped, or come across Sarah, made her shiver in the warm water. There were a lot of bad factions in the west – she knew from first-hand experience now – but it was such good luck that she had stumbled upon a woman with soft eyes who knew how she liked her baths. Sarah had promised that she wasn't a bad cook either and after her bath and after she had somehow got herself into the pretty light blue dress Rosamund had produced, Cora was looking forward to seeing if she was telling the truth.

But after that she might have difficulty. Sarah had told her she was welcome to hide upstairs in her new room, with a soft bed that Cora had been surprised about, but Cora was determined to at least see what went on in these places. And she knew instinctively that Sarah wouldn't let any harm come to her – she was clearly not a woman to be trifled with and seemed to command quite a bit of respect in the town. Cora only hoped the respect was enough for the locals to leave her alone.

She nearly screamed when the door to the little bathroom off from her room opened deftly and someone came in with a swift cheerful greeting and a pile of towels. She splashed in the bath as she turned around quite convinced that the waterfall of red-hair meant that she had been accosted by Rosamund. However, quite a different voice met her ear.

"It's Cora in't it?"

She turned in the bath at a less panicked pace – at least it was a woman – and met with the sight of a girl, younger than she was, but brimming with more confidence than Cora thought she could ever possess at any age. The girl didn't look cruel though, instead she was smiling softly and it made her big eyes crease up in a pleasant and charming way and Cora felt herself become more at ease. She had seen this girl before! She'd been in the bar when she'd first come running in and had shot to her feet to help her before being gestured back into her seat by Sarah.

She smiled back tentatively.

"Yes…I'm sorry, I don't-"

"Gwen darlin', 'm Gwen. I work next door for Rosamund."

Cora's breath caught in her throat again. When she got back to New York she was going to have to have a very serious conversation with her Mama and set her straight – it seemed wrong for Susan Levinson to go around New York with misinformation, because once again she was struck by how pretty and nice one of the _tarts_ her Mama has disparagingly referred to was. This one wasn't as breath-taking as her Madam was but Cora supposed that was age and experience – there was a feline grace to Rosamund with her defined cheekbones and knowing smirk that this girl lacked, but made up for with youthful softness.

Gwen moved further into the room and picked up a bar of soap from next to the china bowl on the top of the wooden table. Where Sarah had come across such wonderful furniture Cora would never know, but she soon forgot about it when Gwen turned back to her with a slightly nervous smile.

"I thought you might need some 'elp? Sarah was determined to give you some time to yourself and Rosamund 'ad to be restrained from runnin' up. And trust me, you need Thomas' 'elp like you need a bullet in your stomach."

Cora gulped slightly at the imagery but smiled up, grateful for the offer.

"Thank you. I think I'll be alright here, but maybe…I'm not very good at dressing myself."

Gwen smiled happily and handed her the soap, sitting herself in the chair by the table, completely unperturbed by keeping a naked stranger company. Cora supposed it was consequence of her profession but she found she didn't mind too much – Gwen didn't have any of Rosamund's predatory attitude and she didn't make Cora feel funny things inside like Sarah did. She didn't want to consider either problem, she couldn't say she _disliked_ the feelings all that much.

"Where do y'come from?"

She smiled at Gwen, re-focussing her mind on the present.

"New York."

"What brought you out 'ere? S'back of beyond if you're from the city in't it?"

"I don't know…the people there weren't very nice and apart from my friends on the trail you all seem friendly so far."

She ran the soap up and down her damp arms, sighing happily as the smell of roses assaulted her nostrils. She lathered up her arm until the slight pinkness of her skin was completely covered by the foam and waited as Gwen struck a match and lit a cigarette.

"We are I promise. Sarah's the best lady in town an' she's got more class than a lot that would call 'emselves "lady"."

Cora thought of the myriad of society ladies she had known in New York and couldn't help but agree with Gwen. Sarah had been more generous with the little she had than anyone she had ever known before and had done it with a grace that they all lacked – no one did anything for anybody else in New York unless they made sure everyone damned well knew about it.

"Does she live her alone? Or is there a husband-?"

Gwen's laughter cut her off before she could finish. She smiled at the mirth with a little bit of confusion but recognised that the laughter was not mocking and rather conspiratorial. Everyone was so kind here! How could she have lived her life so far without knowing that there were people in this world, albeit rather hidden away in Wyoming, who would treat her like this without question?

"A husband? Sarah? Oh darlin', I think if she could she'd grow all her own food, 'ave a well in the back garden for water and not even rely on the sun for light. She _hates_ having to answer to anyone. S'why she owns this place and why she likes Ros so much. All girls together."

Gwen smiled again and winked slightly. Cora shifted in the bath but still smiled back. There was something hypnotic about both Gwen's words and the world she was presenting. Cora liked it a hell of a lot more than she ever liked New York and she sunk down into the bubbles with a smile at Gwen.

"She's very kind to let me stay here for nothing."

Gwen grinned and blew out a great puff of smoke that looked really quite absurdly impressive and made Gwen seem about ten years older than her with sheer worldly-knowledge.

"I'm sure she'll think of a way for you to earn your keep."

Cora frowned.

"Sarah said she didn't expect me to do much. I offered to play-"

Gwen's eyes lit up immediately.

"You play the piano?"

Cora nodded, somewhat perturbed, but pleased to see she had caused such glee in her new friend.

"Sarah lets me sing sometimes but I always end up with Thomas playin' an' the sod changes the key to throw me off when 'e's in the mood to. Maybe you could play for me? I want to get everyone liking me before the bleedin' Mayor's tarty daughter gets her turn and flashes them all to make 'em like _'er_."

Cora smiled and wondered if Gwen would be able to sing any of the arias she had been taught to play. She'd definitely have to learn some new tunes and maybe Thomas would teach her? Sarah had said he wasn't as miserable as he seemed but every other account of him was leaving Cora with an unsettled feeling: perhaps this was going to be the fly in the honey? And if the Mayor's daughter was a singer here then the Mayor must come here too and perhaps he could help her get home? She gave Gwen her sweetest society smile and hoped it ingratiated her – it wouldn't hurt to make a friend before she left this town and Gwen was hardly to know that their career together would be rather short-lived.

"I'll certainly try."

It worked and Gwen spent the rest of her bath-time sitting by the tub talking rapidly about what they could do and when they could practice and Cora was not immune to her joy and eagerly joined in. Apparently they'd have to rehearse in the day and they'd only be able to perform in the moments Rosamund let her go on a break through the evening – although she spent a lot of her shift in the bar anyway – and they'd have to doubly make sure Rosamund never found out Cora had nimble fingers like the last female pianist they'd had. It wouldn't end well by all accounts and Gwen took on the pale expression of one recalling a nightmare when Cora asked what had happened to the previous pianist. She didn't push the question.

"Gwen…could you give me a moment?"

Gwen's eyebrows met her equally auburn hairline and Cora blushed at the scrutiny as the younger girl looked over her body obviously for the first time.

"Sorry love, but you might 'ave to get used to lettin' go of modesty round 'ere. Sarah might look the other way but I doubt you'll find a fella'll do the same. And Rosamund'll probably make a hole in your bedroom wall…"

Cora's eyes went wide at the thought and Gwen burst out laughing as she put out her latest cigarette and picked up a towel for Cora, holding it wide for her.

"'m just jokin' darlin'. She wouldn't dare in Sarah's 'ouse."

Slightly mollified if still a little uncertain Cora stood up and climbed carefully out of the bathtub and into the waiting towel, flinching slightly as she put her weight on her feet once more. Gwen smiled at her and wrapped her up gently, eying the door for a moment that made Cora worry, almost as though she was expecting someone to come crashing through. She held the towel tighter around her body and felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up at the possible intrusion; she didn't think she could cope with more excitement today _at all_.

"Is something wrong?"

"Thought I 'eard a footstep. Must be my imagination."

Cora looked at the door warily and stepped to hide behind Gwen.

"What if it's one of the men?"

Gwen shook her head and turned to rub Cora's upper arms reassuringly.

"Sarah wouldn't allow it, not if she knew you were up 'ere…there's the chance…" Gwen trailed off and carefully, almost silently in fact, slipped over to the door and locked the door inaudibly. Cora furrowed her brow but when she tried to speak Gwen raised a finger against her lips and grinned, raising her voice slightly.

"Bloody 'ell, 'ave you always been that flexible?"

Cora's confusion was soon dispelled when she saw the door handle rattle violently and a soft voice on the other side muttering swear words.

"Gwen! You're sacked!"

Gwen laughed and Cora looked back and forth between the still rattling door and her new friend, for a moment unable to fathom what was going on. Outside the door she heard a new voice follow rapid footsteps and Rosamund seemed to leave the door handle at last. Sarah's voice, angrier than Cora had heard it so far, was chastising the redhead with language Cora had never heard in all her life. The voices grew quieter but Gwen's laughter didn't cease.

"Just be glad the key was in the lock or she'd 'ave got an eyeful when you got out."

Gwen opened the door once more and she and Cora peered carefully down the stairs to see Sarah and Rosamund arguing on the other side of the bar. Cora couldn't quite make out what they were saying but Rosamund was still smirking, looking rather pink cheeked, and Sarah had her hands on her hips like she was anticipating a fight.

Gwen placed an arm around her rapidly drying shoulders and smiled at her.

"You should feel blessed darlin'. Sarah's never usually _that_ bothered about keepin' Rosamund at bay – she must like you."

And with that pronouncement that made Cora feel like she was still immersed in hot water still Gwen swept over to the bed and picked up the dress.

"Shall we get you ready to face the world love?"

Cora took a final look at Sarah and felt her heart swell for the woman who had defended her honour twice in one day and was yet to ask for a single thing. Sarah turned around, as though sensing her, and met her gaze with a small smile and nod. Cora blushed and dodged back into the room turning to Gwen who had her eyebrow raised knowingly.

"Has it started yet?"

"What?"

Gwen rolled her eyes and nodded her over, grinning wolfishly.

"Who were you looking at?"

"No one…I don't know what you mean."

She dropped the towel defiantly, hoping to change the subject and Gwen continued to grin.

"You will love."


	4. Chapter 4

Cora sat in her seat at the end of the bar and looked around her in utter wonder. Never in all her twenty-four years had she seen anything like this and she had lived all her life in New York! The people were so free and easy and even the ones that looked like they were going to be scary turned out to be rather charming. A gnarled looking man who Cora knew her Mama would have dragged her away from if they'd seen him on the streets bought her some bourbon and she didn't have the heart to tell him Sarah was letting her have everything on the house anyway.

She'd choked down the bourbon and listened to his story about his own experience of New York before he'd been led off by a brunette girl who'd come in with Rosamund and been chatting with Gwen. She'd given Cora a slightly condescending look, albeit not without some kindness, and Cora wished she could talk to Gwen too, but she seemed rather busy astride some fellows lap and Cora didn't like to disturb her.

Rosamund sidled up beside her – seemingly coming out of nowhere – and handed her another drink with a smile that spoke of terrible deeds and illicit thoughts. She couldn't help but find herself utterly terrified of Rosamund, no matter how much control Sarah was apparently able to impose upon the Madam. Gwen had said that Rosamund was a good woman at heart and Cora supposed it didn't really make her a bad person because she liked to watch people bathe, but it was still unnerving and why couldn't she be more like Sarah and respect her privacy?

"Evening darling."

"Good evening," she choked out, looking around the room desperate for a saviour. "Is it always this busy?"

Rosamund smirked.

"It is once my girls and I get here. Sarah'd be nothing without me."

Behind the bar Cora distinctly heard Thomas snort into the glass he was cleaning and it was clearly not her imagination because Rosamund soon turned on him too. The smirk was still there but so was a hint of danger and Cora, despite having convinced herself she was never going to like Rosamund's ways, felt her heart beat in excitement at the look.

"Something to say Thomas?"

"You'd still be behind bars if it wasn't for Sarah."

"Bars?"

Cora couldn't help herself but thankfully Rosamund didn't look offended, more bored at the very thought of a prison.

"Oh darling, it was _years_ ago. Thomas here was barely a child and it's his own hero-worship of our lovely Sarah-"

"Give over! _Hero-_ bloody _-worship_ , I ask you. She paid off the Judge and gave you a loan to buy your shag palace next door."

"Which was paid back in full."

"S'not really the point is it?"

Thomas placed down the glass and reached seamlessly for a bottle, turning it quickly upside down and pouring a generous measure into the glass before pushing the thing along the bar to a patron and replacing the bottle before Cora could even blink. She tried not to gawp but her mouth couldn't help but hang open slightly and Thomas looked at her with a mix of pleasure at the recognition and forced-contempt.

"The point is you shouldn't be telling our guest that your place made Sarah's. If you weren't here, Gwen and that lot'd just work here anyway and the only person that'd miss you," here he leant on the bar and angled himself towards Rosamund. To Cora's surprise Rosamund leaned in too and for a mad moment she though the barman and the Madam were going to kiss but instead Thomas acquired a mocking smile. "Would be that mad tart and she only comes here when she's laden with stuff to sell off."

Rosamund's smile seemed fixed for the merest of moments before the more familiar mocking appeared in her eyes. She turned to Cora, dismissing Thomas who rolled his eyes and went to serve a customer, and smirked once more. Cora was beginning to think it was the favourite position for her lips to be in.

"Don't look so shocked darling, Thomas and I are always like that."

"He sounds like he _hates_ you."

Cora didn't know how, but in the few moments that the exchange had taken she had utterly revised her opinion of Rosamund and couldn't understand how anyone could hate her. She might be a little bit oppressive in her manner and her eyes really were incapable of staying in one place for too long, but Cora had seen the look in her eyes when this _tart_ was mentioned. She didn't know who on earth this person was but Rosamund obviously cared a great deal and anyone that had a heart enough to care for someone who was apparently rarely here must be a good person really.

"He doesn't hate me dear, he just wishes he did. He tries to hate everyone but there's nowhere else in the world he'd rather be. And you can tell him I said that."

Rosamund knocked back her own glass of bourbon and Cora, feeling obliged, followed suit and managed not to choke again. She was getting rather good at this! Although she doubted she'd be able to keep up with some of the others in the bar quite yet – Gwen must have had at least _six_ by now and those were only a fraction of the drinks that had been bought for the redhead.

"What if he hates me?"

"He doesn't."

"How do you kno-?"

Rosamund huffed for a moment and rolled her eyes.

"Because earlier on I tried to talk the key to your room out of him and he was rather gallant about protecting it. Even threatened to hide it down his trousers before he realised that would pose more of a problem for him than for me."

She winked and Cora blushed. It seemed like that was a pattern she might have to get used to with Rosamund and when Thomas gruffly slammed down two more drinks in front of them and her companion didn't even look at him Cora turned to Thomas and smiled.

"Thank you."

His cheeks turned the slightest trace of pink at the thanks and Rosamund looked like she was going to cackle: the poor boy swiftly moved on and Cora was quite convinced she saw him smile ever so slightly.

"Rosamund?"

In moments the redhead had moved her chair much closer. In all honesty Cora didn't think she'd actually seen the woman move but she was practically sitting on her lap now, drink in hand, legs crossed so her dress rode up and displayed almost as much leg as its bodice was showing cleavage. She felt rather drab next to the other woman but the borrowed dress was unlike anything she had ever word before. Not quite as fine, but comfortable and freeing and she wasn't sure why, but having her breasts a little on display rather than packed in tight to a corset – Rosamund had point blank refused to even consider finding her one earlier, she'd been lucky to get underwear at all according to Sarah – made her feel more comfortable than she ever had before.

"Yes darling?"

"I'd very much like to thank Sarah for looking after me but I don't know what she likes…do you have any ideas? And please bear in mind I don't have any money at the moment?"

Rosamund looked, quite alarmingly, like all her Christmases had come at once and Cora wasn't remotely sure what she'd done to encourage such a response. Whatever her gift was it was going to be for _Sarah_ wasn't it? Did Rosamund have such a great love for her friend that even the possibility of something making her happy was wonderful news to her? It warmed Cora's heart to think so.

"What does Sarah like? Hmmm, let me think darling. Sarah's favourite things…"

Rosamund sounded like she was mocking her and Cora furrowed her brow. Was there something here she was missing? Did Sarah like very odd things that Cora wouldn't understand or was Rosamund making mountains out of molehills? There must be _something_ she could do surely?

"I don't suppose you'd consider being wrapped up with a ribbon would you?"

Cora's smile froze and her eyes darted around for a moment, having no idea whatsoever if this was a joke she was supposed to get.

"What?"

"A ribbon. So we can turn you into a suitable present for Sarah. Although I'm sure she'd just as well have you without anything in the way."

"She likes…"

"Girls? Who knows. She never talks about it much," Rosamund smirked and leant forward, patting Cora's knee gently and winking. "It'd be a delicious way to find out though…she certainly likes you..."

Cora felt like the wind had gone out of her. Surely Rosamund couldn't mean what she thought she did? From what she'd seen of Sarah she was utterly wonderful and infinitely capable and Cora couldn't think for a moment what a women like that would be doing having any interest in _her_! She was a silly girl from New York who knew nothing about how to live and Sarah would want someone who could help her business and that was without even considering that they were both _women!_ It didn't seem to be causing Rosamund any great trouble and by the look of the way Thomas was talking to a cowboy in the corner Cora thought she must have stumbled across the queerest town in the whole Wild West! But was Sarah-

"Is everythin' alright?"

"Yes," Cora squeaked before she could stop herself, "Fine! Rosamund was just helping me to settle in."

Sarah's eyes fell on Rosamund with some derision and she lit up a cigarette she seemed to conjure from nowhere.

"I hope she's not being too 'elpful."

Rosamund laughed and didn't even attempt to extract herself from her position leaning over Cora. Cora tried to shuffle away but found herself quite pinned between the redhead and the bar – it was almost as though Rosamund had planned this! – and tried not to look at Sarah with too terrified an expression.

"And I was just about to take her to the back room and show her around. She needs a grand tour after all."

Rosamund took hold of her hand and had pulled her to her feet before she could prevent herself from being dragged. She sent a pleading look back at Sarah who had been momentarily distracted by Thomas thrusting a drink in her direction, but the moment her eyes reached Sarah's she knew the other woman got the message and it was just in the nick of time before the redhead pulled her into the backroom again.

Rosamund pounced on her like a polecat attacking a particularly timid field mouse. Sarah caught up with them quickly, having a good idea what was about to occur and allowed herself a moment's amusement at the shocked and outraged expression on Cora's face before she felt as though she should intervene – really sometimes Rosamund didn't seem to understand that not _everyone_ in the world was just waiting for her to fuck them. Although Sarah had to admit, a considerable number of people that travelling through their town seemed to come for the express purpose of seeking out the legendary Rompin' Ros and no one had ever left the redhead's house without a smile on their faces. Cora would probably come around if she left them to it but right now she looked scared to death for the second time that day.

"Rosamund Painswick! You leave that poor girl alone."

She wrapped her hand around Rosamund's arm and pulled her away none too gently – it served her bloody right really – before glaring at her good-naturedly. Rosamund looked thoroughly put out but Cora clung to her side immediately and sniffled.

"Oh darling! There's no need to look so sad!" Rosamund crouched slightly, looking more remorseful than Sarah had seen her in the many years they had known each other: perhaps Cora was already proving to be a good influence? "I didn't mean to hurt you."

Cora cried outright and Sarah let go of Rosamund immediately.

"Cora love? What's wrong? She didn't mean-"

"I though…the bandits...and my clothes."

Sarah frowned and placed her arm around Cora, pulling her closer and holding her tight. Cora hadn't said anything about this and surely she'd have mentioned something so terrible by now…and she didn't know of any bandits in the area who were notorious for that.

"They didn't?"

"They wouldn't _dare!_ "

Sarah looked up sharply at Rosamund and brought Cora's face up to meet hers with a much softer look. Cora seemed not to have heard Rosamund, either that or she hadn't understood her.

"No, not that," she sniffed and swiped at her nose, jumping ever so slightly when Rosamund brought a hand up to stroke her hair before calming again. "I got away before they got the chance! I just panicked when you grabbed me."

Rosamund, for the first time in her life to Sarah's knowledge, at least had the good grace to look contrite. Her hands moved with gentleness over Cora's hair and Sarah didn't even have to swat them away from moving too close to the rest of her. Instead she cuddled Cora closer, not bothering to ask why she wasn't remotely troubled by Sarah holding her, and kissed her forehead.

"It's fine love. You're safe here and I promise Rosamund won't grab you again."

Rosamund smiled kindly and leaned in to kiss Cora's cheek.

"Unless you ask me to."

Later Sarah led her to her bedroom and handed her the key to lock herself in, telling her with a smile it was to keep Rosamund out as well as enemies. She kissed her cheek and Cora didn't flinch at the contact – she knew she never would with Sarah. After the various traumas of the day, not to mention a few more bourbons under Sarah's supervision, she curled up in her new bed and slept.


	5. Chapter 5

"Sarah? Are you _sure_ there's nothing else I can do to help?"

From behind the bar her new friend looked up under her lashes with amusement, a cigarette balanced between her lips as she expertly wiped over the glasses that Thomas had left behind when he went for his afternoon off. Cora was sat quite comfortably at the piano playing with the keys until she managed to make a tune, it had been so long since she played anything and she had to stop every few moments to readjust her dress. What on earth had Rosamund been thinking giving her a _red_ dress to wear in the morning and one that was a little too loose for her as well! If she'd had a choice she would have denounced it for the harlot's garb her Mama had taught her to revile and worn something a little more appropriate but she supposed beggars couldn't be choosers and there was only Sarah here so it didn't matter as much did it?

"You're alight darlin', just keep playing. The old thing might need some tending to before you get anything too nice out of it – Thomas bleedin' _abuses_ them keys whenever he plays."

Cora ran her delicate fingers over the white ivory as though she could heal them with a touch and began to play one of the tunes her governess had taught her when she was younger. Sarah was right, the piano did not sound at all right…unless she had already forgotten everything she'd ever been taught. This place was already making her head feel funny – Sarah had assured her that any ill feeling was probably due to the sunshine she had been exposed to yesterday – but it was more than illness. Everything felt oddly charged, like this was a dream she was only allowed to stay in for a short time and her senses were going to assault her with every smell and noise and taste they could before she was permitted to wake to the stable familiarity of New York.

When she'd woken up the full magnitude of what had happened hit her harder than it had the day before when she'd felt quite frankly too tired to process anything but she had begun this day with tears at breakfast. Sarah had been wonderful again of course and had allowed her to recover herself, all the while promising to take her to the post office once it opened and Cora had managed a watery smile and some toast. God, she'd been starving and devoured the strong chocolate drink she'd been given with gusto before pouncing on the food, not really caring to find out what kind of road kill she was eating. Her Mama had always told her some things were best left unasked and Cora was happy to adhere by this even if her Papa's insatiable curiosity sometimes came out in her.

"Why is he so grumpy? Everyone else has been so kind."

Even Rosamund had, Cora had decided before bed, only been trying to be kind in her own way, it wasn't really her fault that Cora was rather shaken from her day after all and if what Sarah had told her whilst she'd been playing the piano and asking questions was true, Rosamund was quite justified in her belief that most people in the world here came here for her pleasure. Cora didn't understand much about money really but when Sarah had mentioned something called "turnover" even she could recognise that Rosamund's enterprise was extremely lucrative.

Sarah quirked her lips at the question but didn't look up from the glass she had just placed carefully on the shelf overhead, a move that made her dress strain so much Cora felt obliged to look away. Did no one, not even sensible people like Sarah, own clothes that fitted properly in this town? Perhaps she would get the chance to find out when she went out later, as Sarah had promised they would, to send a message to New York and her parents. Cora didn't really know how one went about sending a message or indeed if her parents would understand whatever she was able to tell them but what else could she do other than throw herself on Sarah's eternal mercy?

"He can't help it. And he doesn't mean anything by it so you're best ignoring him. There are plenty of nicer men in the town if you want to meet some of them?"

Cora hit a note hard with surprise and looked up at Sarah sharply.

"My husband died _yesterday_!"

Sarah looked over at her with shrewdness and casually picked up another glass to clean, speaking mildly and as though she were merely asking Cora about the weather.

"Are you _sure_ he died? You never know, maybe he was just running in the other direction?"

Cora lowered her gaze and focussed on the piano, trying not to burst into tears again and willing her mind not to once more go over the events of the previous day. What would be the point? Robert was gone and she'd barely known him really: it was terrible to think of any poor man dying on the road at the hands of a bandit but he was a practical stranger. They'd only known each other for a few months and spoken so seldom before their marriage then two days in separate berths aboard a train from New York to Lincoln and four exhausting days in a speedy stagecoach before the attack had hardly allowed them much time to explore their newfound married state. And now he was somewhere out in the wilderness, probably being eaten by some kind of wild animal! Cora tried not to think about it and instead hoped that Sarah hadn't been bending the truth when she said sending a message would be easy. Apparently they were close to the Pony Express Trail here so they could send a telegram to the nearest town and it would be wired within at least two days and Cora knew her Papa would know immediately what to do and she'd probably have heard from them in a week.

A week wouldn't be too long would it? Sarah was very kind and she was safe from bandits in red scarves for the time being. But what if they attacked her Papa on the way? She should warn him not to come that way or else she might end up without a husband AND a Father and Cora knew the loss of the latter would break her heart in ways Robert never could. Maybe she'd have loved him in time? She'd never know now.

Gritting her teeth as best she could and very aware that her eyes were a little blurry with tears she was trying her very best not to let fall, Cora looked back up at Sarah with a small smile.

"I hope he escaped with his life, I really do, but they were vicious Sarah. I probably only escaped because they were more interested in him…"

The prospect of her young husband having given his life for hers made her chest feel uncomfortably tight and Cora turned away from the piano and stood up, leaving behind the childish noises she had been making without much intent. She wanted to learn a tune that Gwen could sing because it had made the redhead smile to think about doing it and Cora wanted to feel some of her joy. Her troubles didn't seem half as bad when she was around these kind and wonderful people and if learning a song was all it would take to make Gwen happy then she would do it, but later. She came around the bar, something she had not dared to do last night when the place had been full and the possibility of someone asking her to serve them a drink had been quite high, and looked at the various bottles, swiping at her eyes defiantly.

"I'm sure if you told me what to do I could help behind the bar. I won't be as much use as Thomas-"

"No, but you've got a nicer smile that 'im. Not that we've ever seen 'is mind."

Sarah was helping her again and Cora couldn't be more grateful. What she needed right now was a distraction, to not have to think about her husband and what she had lost and memorising spirit bottles would be a perfect afternoon pursuit. She reached out and took Sarah's hand.

"Thank you."

Sarah smiled crookedly and didn't acknowledge quite how much Cora was really thankful for. She squeezed Cora's hand and was about to speak when the saloon door bust open and she immediately dropped her hand like it had scorched her. Cora frowned for just a second and turned to see the newcomer who had made Sarah break out into a relieved smile. It took Cora a moment to recognise her as she brunette who had smiled at her the night before as she spirited the man who'd been to New York away and in the daylight she looked a great deal younger. God, this one must be _much_ younger than she was in fact, barely a child and yet last night with Gwen she had looked quite the experienced woman and intimidated Cora. She felt ridiculous for ever having felt like that when she was given the sweetest smile Cora thought she'd ever seen, topped off with warm chocolate eyes that made her trust this girl immediately. Perhaps when she got back to New York she could compose a pamphlet telling everyone there was something clearly in the water of the whorehouses in the West that made them all beautiful?

"Hello, you're Cora aren't you? Gwen was getting ever so excited about you last night and I simply couldn't wait to say hello."

Sarah smiled at her fondly and reached under the bar for two bottles of wine that had been set apart from the others, placing them both on the counter with a sigh.

"Cora, this is Sybil, another one of Ros' lovely ladies. And you," she turned back to Sybil. "Can tell 'er majesty that yes, these bottles _are_ going on her tab, just like the ones yesterday did and just like the ones tomorrow will. I bloody swear when she finally pays that thing off I'm retiring."

Sybil smiled at Sarah indulgently and Cora had the feeling this was not an uncommon complaint from her hostess. She smiled along with the other two, unsure what else to do but wanting to make as good an impression upon the new girl as she clearly had Gwen – the fact that Gwen had aided her in the bath did make her think she and this Sybil might have a little more bonding to do before they reached that point.

"I'm not here for them. Gwen said she'll come to fetch lunch after she's sorted through the things we were left with last night. I came to see if Cora would like to see the town."

The thought of leaving the bar, especially leaving the bar with a veritable stranger, made Cora's insides feel frozen with fear but upon looking to Sarah she found something rather unexpected. Rather than a blank refusal for Sybil or indeed an immediate assent – the two replies Cora had grown accustomed to her parents giving for her and had known Robert would do too – Sarah instead raised her eyebrow enquiringly.

"It's up to you darlin'. Sybil can probably spare the time more than me and if you go with her now you can get the message sent, I can't leave this place till Thomas comes back and god only knows 'ow long that'll be."

Cora looked between the two woman, very aware that for the first time in her life she was being asked to make a decision for herself and stumped for a moment over what on earth to do. She felt safer with Sarah that she did anyone at the moment but she couldn't shut herself up in the bar forever and she _did_ want to get the message sent as soon as possible. Her parents would be so worried about her and she hated to think of them in turmoil and Sybil looked safe enough. In fact it was quite impossible to think of anyone who looked less threatening, even Gwen had had a certain glint in her eye and she'd been wonderful so Sybil must be cut of the same stuff! She smiled softly at Sybil and tried not to look as shy as she was feeling, she was yet to meet anyone in this town that was anything other than forthright so it wouldn't hurt her to be a bit more assertive… at least her Mama had always said so.

"I think I'd like that. I only hope everyone in town is as kind as the people I've met so far."

Sarah and Sybil shared a glance for just a second before they both chuckled and Sarah placed an arm around her shoulders to squeeze her good naturedly.

"'m afraid you've already met the best of the bunch darlin', but some of the others are worth the time of day so you might as well go an' meet them. And you can tell Carson I've got 'is 'special whiskey' again so he can come back to pretend he's here for that as soon as he likes."

Cora didn't have the slightest clue who Carson was – had somebody mentioned his name last night because it _did_ sound oddly familiar? – but by the look of things Sybil was well aware and she smiled at Sarah good-naturedly before gesturing for Cora to come round the bar. Sarah reached up to a nearby hook from which a shawl that had the distinct appearance of once having been red but was now a rather pleasing shade of pink that she wrapped around Cora's shoulders with almost motherly care.

"You'd best cover up love."

"Is the sun really that bad this time of day?"

"Not really darlin'," she smiled and loosely tied the fabric. "But you'll have to go past Ros' and god only knows who else you meet in the town. And Sybil can talk the ear off a deaf man so you might be a while."

Turning Cora with gentle but insistent hands she walked her around the bar, slipping a few coins into the voluminous pockets of the second dress Rosamund had brought round for her this morning - if Cora didn't know any better she'd swear Rosamund had purposefully made looser about the bust – and pushed her towards Sybil. Cora looked over her shoulder, for some reason her desire to make a new friend was outweighed by wanting to see Sarah's expression as she carefully manhandled her. She wished she hadn't.

Rather than the calm and benevolently bemused expression that had so defined Sarah so far for her she was met with the sharpest look she could imagine, made worse by the dim light in the bar at this time of day that made the angles of Sarah's face look terrible and beautiful. It wasn't the warm beauty Cora had come to associate with any of her new friends and as soon as she blinked it was gone. Had she thought about it at any great length Cora might have come to the conclusion that Sarah was sending a very clear warning to Sybil – let her get hurt at your own peril – however, her still fragile mind could only comprehend the look and the look was terrible. For a moment she feared for Sybil and was rather glad not to be in the girl's shoes. But Sybil surprised her. Instead of cowering in terror under the formidable older woman's temporary gaze she merely nodded minutely, almost imperceptibly and the look between them was broken. It was nothing but a momentary pause in the otherwise pleasant and cordial conversation but Cora felt odd emotions assault her and wasn't able to speak again until they were outside the oppressive safety of the bar.

The sunlight dazzled her for a moment. She could understand how in a town such as this people could live for the night and avoid the harsh and truthful light of day but she, who had only ever seen the town by daylight, thought it was imposing in its functionality. She'd seen pictures – usually in the scandalous and shocking newspapers – of the untameable west and of course she had heard the stories about bar room brawls and dens of iniquity like Rosamund's but she'd never imagined anything looking quite so incongruously efficient. There wasn't a thing out of place; the shops were clean, the signs shiny and new, the houses scattered amongst the more official buildings looked neat and homely. They were fewer and Cora expected that even the sprawl of this small town would allow for their being a _neighbourhood_ of some kind beyond the main dusty strip. Even the whorehouse looked like nothing more than a respectable business but the thing that struck Cora the most were the people.

After having met Sarah and her staff, Rosamund and hers and nothing but their customers so far it was something of a shock to the system to suddenly be confronted with people who were neither drunk nor half dressed. She felt suddenly remarkably underdressed herself and was glad for Sarah's addition of the shawl: it struck her as they walked and curious eyes began to fall on her that these people probably thought she was a new recruit from Rosamund's. She certainly looked the part with her pretty dress and falling curls – she'd been unable to put them into too controlled an arrangement on her own – but she found she didn't care really. It was oddly liberating in a way to have strangers look at her in passing and look away again in embarrassment. Not at all like the marriage markets in New York where she had felt more on display than she ever could here, even with her limited knowledge of the world Cora had known enough to see the looks in the eyes of various men who saw her as nothing more than an attractive body for their sons to breed on. She'd hated it, the critical assessments that would decide her future had been clinical and utterly without thought for her emotions.

Here at least the men looked for a moment and turned away with a blush and it occurred to her that she was a novelty and a mystery. The idea of being something so exotic filled her with excitement and she shuffled closer to Sybil who was still smiling benignly, clearly having no ill effects from the odd look that had passed between her and the landlady.

"The people in the town…do they know what…you _do_?"

Sybil laughed, low and sweet and not at all the laugh of a harlot but Cora supposed that was what she was even if she didn't look like one at all. In fact, with her pretty pastel blue dress and matching shawl she looked like such a young lady that it made Cora wonder where she had come from to begin with. Surely no man in the town would allow his little girl to enter into service with Rosamund as long as they had breath in their bodies. Sybil's family were either far away – and Cora had a short, sharp shock of worry that perhaps Sybil had ended up here the same way she had – or else they were dead. Neither possibility was exactly cheerful.

"Yes, they know. Please don't get the wrong idea about Rosamund's house, it's not seedy place at all, she only takes the best and she does it more for her own enjoyment than any of her customers."

Cora couldn't possibly imagine _why_ anyone would do such a thing but then the pleasures of the flesh remained a mystery to her. The marriage had been so brief, with no real emotions passing between her and Robert in their courtship and week of married life, and being on the road had made them both grumpy and she'd all but barred him from her carriage on the train, quite refusing to make the small bunk her first marriage bed. It was a wonder Robert hadn't just molested her on the long carriage journey and she supposed she should be grateful he'd been a man of character. It would have been nice to think he wanted her all the same.

"She's a very strange woman."

"She's a very _kind_ woman. Gwen and I were traveling and penniless when we got here. You shouldn't feel sorry for any of us though, Rosamund's made it quite clear that she wouldn't ever stop us leaving and she'd even give us money to set ourselves up, but the works not at all hard and it's a sort of independence isn't it?"

Cora smiled at her and allowed the younger girl to link arms with her.

"I suppose it is…Sybil?"

"You want to-"

Whether Sybil had accurately guessed what her question was Cora would never know because she felt something underfoot and looked down curiously, hoping she hadn't trodden on a mouse. She'd seen a horse step on a rat once on Park Avenue and it had been the most revolting thing she'd ever seen and perhaps her weight would be just as bad for something smaller? Instead of the expected rodent though she found her foot somehow _still_ pressing down on the mid-section of a snake!

She screamed and tried to back away, pulling Sybil as she went, but irritated by the disturbance the creature began to slither towards her only for a sudden bang to make her heart beat even harder. She looked up from the now immobile snake and saw a young man running towards them both with his gun drawn. Sybil laughed breathily next to her and smiled at the man.

"Well that was lucky. Tom's the best shot in town."

The young man slowed to kick the snake into a nearby thicket of bushed and smiled at them both with roguish charm. Cora would have said she knew his sort all too well but he did it with such an honest face and he _had_ just saved her from a snake after all.

"Thank you Mr…"

"Tom, ma'am. Branson. And it's Deputy, I'm the Sheriff's man."


	6. Chapter 6

Deputy Tom Branson proved to be exactly the right man in a crisis – Sybil considered it minor inconvenience and Cora wondered how long she would have to live in the west before she too became hardened to something like a Garter Snake – but the young man had been wonderful. He'd quite understood her distress, telling her quietly that when he'd come from Ireland he'd been scared to death of the snakes and spiders until someone had given him a gun and he'd learnt to shoot, and before Cora was really aware what was happening they'd walked a fair distance away from where the carcass had been kicked and Cora's heart rate had returned to normal again. He walked by her side, allowing Sybil to carry on linking arms with her, but Cora wasn't distracted enough not to notice that after the young man said anything to her his eyes would flicker towards the other girl.

"Those snakes are pretty common around here Miss."

"Goodness, what a horrible thought!" She smiled at Branson and didn't bother to correct the title he gave her, it would only lead to them feeling sorry for her and the last thing she wanted was for her new friends to pity her more than they already must. "I hope you'll always be around with your gun Deputy."

Next to her she felt Sybil give the smallest of twitches but Cora noticed her arm holding Cora's tighter and for the first time since she'd been in this town she felt on more even ground. Courtship was one thing she knew and something she certainly recognised but there was something odd about these two. It took her another few minutes in their company to notice: they never looked at each other when they spoke. It was an odd thing, certainly not apparent to the casual observer, but they so seldom spoke directly to each other without addressing her that it became highly noticeable that Deputy Branson would develop a pre-occupation with staring at the weather or Sybil would look like she was contemplating her shoes.

"I'll try my best Mi-"

"Cora."

"Cora then. I'll certainly keep an eye on you."

Cora smiled and considered a moment too late that it might not have been the best thing to do. Branson had such sharp and lovely blue eyes that she found the couldn't resist even if it did seem to be making Sybil's whole body grow rigid, but she didn't see the harm in simply _smiling_ at the young man. She _wasn't_ one of Rosamund's girls after all and didn't have to save her smiled for the highest bidder.

They walked a little further until Branson stopped dead in his tracks, looking over his shoulder in a way that suggested he had forgotten something. Cora followed his gaze but saw nothing at all apart from the road they had come along and the mountains in the distance. She wasn't entirely sure but she thought she could hear a whistling noise…perhaps it had been that to draw Branson's attention, but Sybil seemed completely unaware of the sound.

"I think I should be off now. Lots of work to do an' all that."

He was distracted and Cora suppressed her confusion. It would be terribly rude to ask questions to a man she had only known for a few minutes after all, but she felt insatiably curious about what Deputy Branson's sudden need to withdraw was really all about.

"Well, I hope to see you again. Do you come to the bar at all? I'm staying there with Sarah."

That seemed to gain his attention and for a moment Cora would have sworn she saw some concern but it was gone as swiftly as Sarah's look earlier had been and Cora thought she must have imagined it.

"No, I don't usually come by. I'll try and make the effort for you though Cora. I want to know everything that happened to you on the trail, maybe we can catch the people who attacked you?"

She didn't especially want to go over what had happened again, not with this boy anyway, but smiled and nodded politely. She highly doubted she would ever find out who had attacked her now: the west was vast and wild and there were so many places to hide that she doubted her assailants would ever be found. He made his excuses and sped away before Cora could reply and she turned to Sybil, expecting a face of thunder for Cora having flirted with her beau but instead being met with the same sweet smile that had vanished during Tom Branson's brief sojourn with them.

"I'll take you to the post office if you like? Before we end up treading on any more snakes!"

Sybil pulled her in the direction of a large, officious looking building with several horses tethered outside it, all of which were fitted with letter bags that were empty at the moment. The horses were jostling for position over the water trough and Cora watched their powerful nuzzles knock against each other with a small smile. The long flanks and smooth manes were immaculately cared for and it always made her happy to see well-cared for animals; she'd never been this close to an unsupervised horse in her life but as she and Sybil walked between the two groups of horses – the animals were almost likes guards at the door of the postmaster – she felt no fear.

Inside was as expected. Small but tidy and efficient, with only one man, who appeared to have something of a limp judging by his gait, behind the smooth wooden counter peppered with pieces of paper. On the walls were posters for nearby attractions and new innovations in the post, along with a pricelist on the wall. She felt into her pocket and examined the money, checking the list a second time and smiling in realisation that Sarah had given her more than enough to send her note with the most haste possible. She only hoped this wasn't an indication that Sarah was eager to get rid of her.

She smiled at the man and walked forwards to the counter.

"Hello."

He looked around him as though he were expecting a punch line and Cora frowned, following his gaze herself and wondering what he was looking at. The only thing she could see that stood out was a little drawing of what looked like rolling hills and a cotton mill but she doubted that was it.

"Hello."

"I was wondering how I would go about getting a message to New York."

"New York? It'll cost you-"

She dropped the coins on the counter top and pushed them towards him eagerly. There was more than enough for one message but she wasn't too sure about what change she should expect, if indeed any…perhaps she should have asked Sarah about this.

"Well, I see that's not a problem. How quickly do you want it to get there?"

"Oh, as soon as possible please. How…" She felt foolish asking but couldn't resist. "How does it work?"

"We send a written message to the nearest town with the ability to send wires and then wait for the reply."

"How does a wire work?"

He raised his eyebrow and leant on the countertop with an air of supreme longsuffering.

"It travels along a wire."

"And that works?"

"Well, as I've got $200 worth of stock in the telegraph system and I work in a post office is it likely I'm going to say the communication system doesn't work?"

With no other explanation the man, whose limp seemed to have now entirely vanished and Cora could only assume was wearing some kind of corrector, turned away and picked up a pen and card, placing it on the desk in front of Cora. He sat down.

"I've a feeling you're the sort that'll take your time. Try not to make it too long, the wires aren't very thick and they don't care much for long words either."

Not entirely sure whether the man was joking or not Cora glanced at Sybil for confirmation to find her companion distracted by reading a sign about the local election on the wall. She turned back to the man and smiled guilelessly – it usually served her quite well – and he capitulated slightly, leaning forwards and pointing to the card.

"Put the name of the recipient here and where they live here. Write your message as clearly as you can and I'll get it sent for you as soon as the horses take the next load."

She smiled sweetly in thanks and took her little card to a small table at waist height next to the counter wondering what on earth to write. The name and address were easy and she hoped her Papa didn't dismiss the poor man who'd be delivering the telegram, her Papa didn't particularly care for telegrams and said they were terribly impersonal and he preferred a nice letter filled with interesting thoughts. But this was serious and she hoped her Papa somehow sensed he would have to accept it for once!

DEAR MAMA AND PAPA STOP

ATTACKED BY BANDITS STOP EVERYTHING GONE STOP AM STAYING IN A TOWN 10 MILES FROM DEVIL'S GATE WITH A NICE LANDLADY STOP NEARLY ENDED UP IN THE WHOREHOUSE SO COULD HAVE BEEN WORSE STOP PLEASE SEND MONEY AND/OR TRANSPORT STOP

MISS YOU BOTH STOP PLEASE HURRY BUT DON'T WORRY TOO MUCH STOP EVERYONE IS VERY KIND STOP OH AND ROBERT DEAD STOP

CORA

She read it through several times, hoping it got everything across as clearly as possible, before ambling over to the counter once more and smiling at the man. He rolled his eyes at her sudden reappearance but didn't look antagonistic at all, in fact Cora thought he was rather enjoying mocking her.

"Is this okay? I don't know how long these things should be."

He read through it quickly and looked up at her with a single raised eyebrow. He shook his head as though she were a child who'd just handed him a bad painting that he was obliged to put on his wall all the same.

"It's lovely. I'm sure they'll jump for joy when they get it."

With no more words he turned around and placed her precious note atop the pile, fastening it in with a metal clip and taking out a fresh piece of paper. He didn't move from his chair but reached out and pushed both the coins back towards her without looking up.

"Buy yourself something pretty and don't tell Sarah…I'll never hear the end of it."

Cora collected up the coins, not quite sure what to do with the unexpected generosity from the strange man and found herself face to face with Sybil as she turned to leave, having been silently dismissed by the postmaster. Once outside in the sunshine Cora felt a great sense of relief – she had done all she could and she was safe with Sarah for now. What else could she really expect after such a terrible ordeal?

Sybil took her hand quite suddenly and began pulling them both along towards a man walking with a definite air of being somebody important. He had a smart black suit like something her Papa would wear and his greying hair looked neat under his tall hat, everyone he passed doffed their hats to him and he politely nodded back and Cora wondered whether it was entirely appropriate for Sybil, given her line of work, to speak with such a gentleman in the middle of the street. Surely people wouldn't like it? But the man seemed utterly unperturbed by their arrival and inclined his hat deftly in their direction.

"Miss Sybil, how good to see you out and about. And…oh this I take it is Sarah's mystery guest."

"Yes," Sybil smiled brightly at him and pulled Cora forwards. "This is Cora and I'm sure there must be something you can do for her whilst she's here." Sybil wound her hand around Carson's arm and looked up at him as though he somehow knew the answer to all of life's problems. Cora wondered quite suddenly what had happened to Sybil's Papa…

"Mr Carson's the Mayor here. He knows everyone."

Mayor Carson demurred and reached out his hand for Cora's.

"A pleasure to meet you Miss Cora…" He looked nervous for a moment and leaned in as though hoping his booming voice wouldn't carry as far with a few inches fewer distance between his mouth and anyone who might overhear. "Are you a new recruit at Rosamund's by any chance?"

Cora blushed and looked down at her dress to make sure it was still on properly – it was falling a bit loose actually – but she emphatically shook her head. She'd been prepared for people to think that given the company she was keeping and the inappropriate cut of her dress but Carson was the first _proper_ gentleman she'd seen since she arrived and even _he_ thought she was a whore!

"No! I got stranded and Sarah let Rosamund dress me."

"Ah," he held out his elbow to her with ease no doubt given to him by his office and spoke as though he knew quite well what Rosamund's idea of 'dress' would be. "In which case my dear permit me to escort you," he extended his other elbow for Sybil, "And Miss Sybil of course… To the Sheriff's office and you can tell him your troubles. Let Mr Crawley's excellent mind focus on something more benign before I make him overcome the next Herculean task of my devising."

They moved on with a laugh from Sybil and a low chuckle from the Mayor but Cora had the distinct feeling there was a joke she wasn't getting somewhere in Carson's words. The change in looks as they walked back through the village was rather different. The desiring glances from various men had vanished and instead more of the women looked over with the same expressions Cora had seen on Aunts and indulgent society women in New York. They were thinking about how well Carson looked with two women who might have been his daughters on his arms; perhaps some of them were hoping that his calming influence might lead them back onto the straight and narrow? Sybil seemed not to have noticed at all and had instead launched into telling Carson about the delivery of his special brand of whiskey and how much Sarah had bought and how much she'd managed to get off the asking price by letting them simply _sit_ in Rosamund's sitting room for an hour. Cora managed to spare admiration for Sarah's business instincts – she had a feeling her Papa would like Sarah a great deal – but her focus was distracted by the woman stalking towards her.

Well, she was a girl really, not much older than Sybil and certainly no older than her but the way she carried herself suggested that she thought she was a lot better than she ought to be. Cora had seen the sort in New York a hundred times and each of _those_ girls had ended up married to men just as arrogant and beautiful as they were - the Flintshire's were the latest in a long line of such couple and they had terrified Cora during her third season when they'd stalked across ballrooms and sneered at lesser mortals.

This one had long dark hair piled up in an elaborate style and finer clothes than Cora had seen on any of the women of town so far. She was more put together than any of Rosamund's girls and a great deal more glamorous than any of the altogether much plainer women Cora had seen so far this morning. The only other person she'd seen who possessed the same arrogance was Sarah, but Sarah's was born of being a woman in a position of power - a beast quite unknown to Cora - whereas this girl seemed to revel in her own beauty, drawing the gaze of all those around her but looking as though she were utterly unconcerned by it. Cora had seen girls like that before too and knew there was not one of them who would so much as leave the house in the morning until she was satisfied with her appearance.

"Here you are Daddy."

The girl stopped in front of their travelling group and looked briefly between Mr Carson and Sybil, not deliberating for a second over whether to glare at Sybil or the taller, unknown girl, and waited expectantly for Sybil to let go of her Father's arm.

"We were wondering what had kept you away from home for so long. Elsie is going quite spare and you shall have to convince her you haven't been visiting Rosamund's."

She glanced sideways towards Sybil, who had fallen in step besides her, as though Carson so much as being in the younger woman's company was enough to decide they had both been up to no good. Cora didn't let go of Carson's arm - he was still guiding her towards the Sheriff's office after all - but she did lean around the Mayor with as charming a smile as she could muster for his daughter...Wait! The Mayor's daughter?

This then must be the girl who Gwen was concerned would steal the limelight in the bar: and though Cora liked Gwen a great deal more than this haughty thing, she could quite understand why Gwen might be concerned.

"Hello, I'm Cora."

"Oh," a dark pair of eyes looked across her Father's chest and assessed her with lazy interest. Cora was pleased to note that her breeding must have shown somehow because despite the girl's dismissal of Sybil she seemed even polite when she spoke again. "I'm Mary...you're the woman from New York aren't you?"

Cora smiled and nodded, feeling rather smug for the first time since she had been here. Sarah and Rosamund had seemed utterly unimpressed by where she came from, and Gwen's interest had sounded more curious than envious.

"I'd love to see New York. I've never felt quite at home here...Where are we going anyway?"

"The Sheriff's office."

"Oh dear," she turned to Sybil with an amused smirk. "Rosamund doesn't need bailing out again does she?"

Sybil ignored her and came around to squeeze Cora's hand gently.

"You'll be fine with them, I must get back before she misses me. I'll see you in the bar later."

Cora could think of no response but smiled at Sybil gratefully and allowed Carson to gently mumble to his daughter something that sounded distinctly like it contained the word 'dignified' without interfering. Soon enough they reached the Sheriff's office and Carson didn't bother to knock, but did unleash the arms of the two women he was escorting before sweeping inside the building as though he was the Sheriff and this was his domain. He puffed out his chest and cleared his throat, staring at the presumably young man behind the desk that Cora could not see. This must be Mr Crawley...

When he stood up Cora felt as though she were looking at a painting. Amongst all the dust and heat of this place she had quite forgotten that men with bright blue eyes, pale skin and blonde hair existed - he looked, like her, as though he had just arrived in this town and was entirely out of place within its boundaries. And yet the gun poised in the belt at his waist was rather more prominent than it had been on Mr Branson, emphasized perhaps by the fact that he simply didn't look like a man comfortable to be in possession of a weapon. He looked distinctly as though he would be happier with a book and Cora wondered how few times he had actually fired the thing.

Mr Crawley stood up at the new interruption and Cora felt Carson's hand press her gently in the small of her back, edging her forwards into the room. She smiled at the Sheriff, rather impressed as she got closer with the sheer shine of his badge and the intelligence of his eyes, and prepared to explain her story once again. But something stopped her.

Glancing around the small office for a moment Cora's eyes were drawn to the various posters on the wall containing pictures of a number of villains, all with different rewards. One stuck out. She stared at the poster, utterly frozen to the spot and quite unable to comprehend how such a thing could be hanging there, as though it had been there waiting for her all her life. The bandit from the road with the red scarf – the picture didn't show the brightness of the garment but she could see it in her mind's eye more clearly then she would ever have liked – with a reward cited underneath his picture: Dead or Alive.


	7. Chapter 7

Cora had managed to mutter out her story once again to Sheriff Crawley before flitting back to the bar as quickly as she possibly could. She felt safe in the dimly lit bar and immediately sought out Sarah when she came through the doors. She needed the other woman and the faint smell of whiskey and smoke that came with her; she'd comforted her troubled heart and mind yesterday and Cora needed to speak to her about the poster of the bandit. She hadn't described him to Sarah but now it seemed like this red-scarfed devil was a well-known criminal around here and Cora needed to know whether the local law really was so ineffectual it couldn't catch one bandit! It certainly didn't bode well for her ever managing to get justice for Robert.

"Sarah!"

She couldn't hear a thing in the bar - Thomas must not be back yet or else he was hiding somewhere to avoid working - and called for Sarah several more times as she walked tentatively across the floor. An entirely empty bar was a rather unnerving prospect and for a moment she considered going to Rosamund's house before dismissing it as something that was only to be used as a last resort. After what had nearly happened with Rosamund last night she didn't think it was too safe to be alone with Rosamund in her own house - she might never be allowed to leave!

"Sarah, are you here?"

Cora felt for a moment like a child being left alone for the very first time by their parents but she was starkly aware that she was in fact _very_ far away from her parents and Sarah was hardly a substitute for either of them. She had been terribly sweet and Cora couldn't pretend she wasn't a little bit excited at the thought of staying in the bar for a few days but she wanted to go back to New York as soon as possible. Leaving her parents behind had been a necessity, not a choice, and perhaps she wasn't quite ready? The prospect of being thousands of miles away from them in California had been heart-wrenching and each terrible mile she had gone away from them had made her feel sicker with wanting to be at home. She didn't feel sick now, but she supposed it was more to do with the shock than anything. Sarah had told her that she might feel a little shaky for a few days and after coming face to face with her bandit once more - or as close as she ever wanted to get again - she felt as though she were standing on shifting sands again.

Perhaps a drink would help? When she'd been in a state of shock yesterday Sarah had given her bourbon and she'd felt better and her hostess had said she could help herself to anything she liked hadn't she? Cora slipped behind the empty bar and examined the shelves, looking for the bottle she had been given drinks from yesterday. There were all different kinds on the shelf of course but Cora wasn't foolish enough to think that some of them wouldn't be terribly strong and she certainly didn't want to risk drinking _them_! Eventually she identified a bottle with a familiar-ish label and reached up for it carefully, having to stretch for it and being highly aware that the pull was making her dress tighter around her chest. She managed to lift the bottle down and got the cap off without trouble, pouring a measure steadily into a clean glass. How on earth Thomas did this so quickly she would never know but it wasn't as hard as she'd thought! If Sarah wanted her to she was sure she could do this for an evening, preferably one of the slower ones if such a thing existed, and then maybe she wouldn't feel like she was imposing so much on her kind hostess?

She sipped her drink slowly, thankful to note that it was the same one she'd had yesterday, and came back around the bar, settling herself at the piano and taking deep breaths. She didn't want Sarah to come back and find her being this pathetic over a damned poster and maybe the music would soothe her nerves?

She played a few notes idly, managed a few bars of Beethoven, before a noise behind her made her jump. She was exceptionally grateful that she wasn't holding her drink, she only had two at the moment and getting whiskey down a dress that wasn't technically hers seemed awfully rude!

Sarah came out of the backroom, clearly having been roused by her piano playing rather than her earlier calls, with her usual calm smile and pressed the door shut with a decisive click. Her eyes flickered to Cora's drink and her eyebrows went up in amusement, moving into the room and drawing Cora's attention. She did wonder though…it was the first time she'd seen Sarah bother to close the door to the backroom, even when there were customers around, but she quickly followed Sarah's moving form.

"I hope you don't mind."

"Of course not. I said you could 'elp yourself didn't I?"

She crossed the bar and sat on the stool nearest to the piano and nodded for Cora to carry on. She found Cora's tinkering with the piano a great deal more soothing than Thomas' and reached into her pocket for her tobacco tin, rolling a cigarette deftly as she watched Cora play a few idle notes. It was clear that whatever the girl had been planning to play beforehand she had now grown far too nervous to continue.

"You'll never be able to play for the rabble in 'ere if you can't play for me."

Cora looked up at her, shocked for a moment to be given such direct instruction from Sarah. Her old piano teacher had been rather harsh and discouraging in her critique of Cora's timidity about playing in public but she couldn't deny Sarah was right and such a plain piece of advice immediately calmed her. She closed her eyes and sought out the keys, playing a soft tune, one she had memorised in her youth and scarcely been allowed to play due to its lack of _importance_ according to her instructor.

The music soothed her and her fingers danced over the keys, eliciting music that had long since been forbidden in the music room at home. Sometimes, when her Mama was out and Papa's rules were enforced in the household Cora had been allowed a freer rein but it had never lasted for very long. She longed for her Papa in that moment, missing him like a limb and feeling like she might cry with how much she missed his soft blue eyes and short stature that meant she could quite easily rest her head on his shoulder when she hugged him. With her eyes closed she could almost pretend that Isidore was behind her now, smiling softly at his beloved daughter's pleasure in something as simple as playing a tune she liked, and reaching out a hand to ruffle her hair and kiss her forehead. It felt like _decades_ since she had seen him and the music seemed like the only link she had left to him - perhaps if she played it long enough and loved him enough whilst she played he would somehow hear her calling?

Or maybe her Mama's sense for knowing Cora was doing something she shouldn't would kick in and Susan Levinson would be the one to find her here with Sarah, sat at an old piano?

She finished her tune and opened her eyes, turning to Sarah with a sheepish smile, pleased with herself and proud that she had made the landlady look so relaxed. Which she certainly did: Cora couldn't pretend that Sarah always looked anxious but it must be stressful running a bar mustn't it, and Sarah was leaning back against the bar casually, smoking her cigarette lazily. Her eyes were lidded but Cora knew they were focussed quite pointedly upon her and she smiled wider when she recognised the absolute pleasure upon her face.

"Did you like it?"

"It was lovely darlin'. Probably wouldn't get the crowd going - I'll get Thomas to teach you some of them - but I'd let you play for me all night. You're better than this place."

Cora shook her head emphatically and blushed. No one _ever_ said she was good at anything. She'd been half-hoping that once she learnt how to be a proper wife to Robert she might prove proficient at the art of lovemaking that she'd only heard about before under the cracks of doors and in the books girls her age shouldn't have been reading. But Cora had read them and wanted to be good at _something_ and that seemed like as good a thing as any. Except for music, but her skill had paled compared to some of her fellow students, who could play the most difficult Mozart sonatas from memory and make people feel patriotic by playing good old American tunes. Cora had rather likes playing silly Italian songs and rather aggressive Beethoven when the feeling took her and so had not been as highly praised. But if Sarah thought she was good, then perhaps there was hope for her yet?

"I'm not really. I just like playing...it calms me down."

Sarah frowned gently and tilted her head inquisitively.

"What's got you shaken?"

Cora sighed and felt a fool. It seemed ever so silly now, sat here quite safe with Sarah and playing the piano like she was a little girl seeking approval from one of her Mama's friends. But she _had_ been scared of that poster, no matter how innocuous it seemed now. If there WAS going to a poster of the bandit somewhere then it made sense for it to be in the Sheriff's office and this whole area was so vast and populous that they would know about any local terrors.

"I saw a poster for the man that attacked me. If I'd been sensible I'd have expected it but I'm afraid it came as something of a shock."

She reached for her glass, drinking deeply of the bourbon and licking the residue off her lips as the warmth went through her quickly. She never had been much of a drinker and she doubted Sarah was going to run out of stock with her as a houseguest but it was nice to think she could drink whatever she pleased without anyone telling her what to do. She missed her parents desperately but the small amount of freedom from them and from Robert was liberating and wonderful.

Sarah didn't speak and instead just continued to watch her. If Cora had been less inclined to think well of Sarah she would have sworn the other woman didn't really care about her discovery but instead she took the slow drag on a cigarette to mean Sarah was waiting for her to go on.

"I feel such a fool really, it was just a poster but it took me off-guard and for a moment I was back on the road with that man firing bullets at Robert and me and I felt like I was going to faint I was so scared."

The bar suddenly seemed colder than it had a moment before and she wrapped her arms around herself, waiting for the bourbon to warm her up, looking up at Sarah, unsure quite what she expected the other woman to do. How was she supposed to make her feel better after all? Hunt down the bandit herself and show Cora her attacker behind bars? It would be wonderful but she doubted Sarah's abilities extended quite that far. She left her seat at the piano though and wondered a little aimlessly for a moment, feeling scared and caged, as though her bandit was hiding behind the nearest door waiting for her and she was the foolish prey. Eventually she settled in the chair next to Sarah's, facing the bar and watching the other woman spin around on her stool to face her in the mirror.

"You're safe here."

"I know I am. But I don't feel safe anywhere else which I think might be a problem later on. Unless you want me to be your full-time personal musician?"

She smiled at the reflection in the mirror and looked down at her hands in her lap. Sarah reached out and brushed a lock of her curls behind her ear softly and Cora leant into the touch, turning to look at Sarah.

"You can stay as long as you need to darlin'. As long as it takes for your parents to come here to get you-"

"What if they never come?"

"As long as it takes for you to feel safe then."

Cora sighed and reached up to grasp Sarah's hand in her own, clutching it desperately between them on the bar top. She felt awkward with such a sudden gesture and her next words came out in a rush of emotion.

"What if I never do?"

"You will."

"What if-?"

"You _will_. You'll be fine darlin'."

Cora swallowed deeply and tried to smile. It was impossible to feel too sad in Sarah's presence, she gave her the same feeling of safety that her Father always had and held her hand so easily it was as if they had known each other all their lives.

"But just suppose they don't get my message? Or they're attacked on their way here to find me...they love me _so_ much you know and they're _bound_ to come looking."

Sarah looked troubled for a moment and Cora thought for the first time to ask about her hostess' background. Had she parents in the town perhaps? Or anyone at all. She hadn't mentioned having a scrap of family and seemed to have surrounded herself with young people she could look after in her turn and Rosamund who was far from being familial in her manner. For a moment Cora wanted to ask but what if the response was something she didn't want to hear? Sarah might have ended up here by accident too and not been able to get away. Perhaps she had spent some time in Rosamund's house before she'd been able to set up her own business? And why on earth had Rosamund been in _prison_ of all places? She feared ended up like them, with no one to rely upon and she felt like not knowing was a better alternative to daring to ask.

"They'll get here darlin'. The bandits don't attack everyone."

"How do you know?"

Sarah looked taken aback and Cora supposed she had been rather blunt in her manner: it wasn't like it was Sarah's fault if she was worried. She looked abashed and her lips twitched in apology.

"I just do. They'll find you and take you home and in less than a month all of this will seem like nothin' more than a bad dream. I promise."

Cora smiled warmly and shuffled her seat closer to Sarah's, her arm now pressed against the older woman's as she leant her head down slowly to rest on her shoulder, sighing softly as she looked at them in the mirror.

"Just suppose though-" Sarah began to object again and Cora spoke over her. "Just suppose that they don't get here. I can't carry on staying here for free. I'm already imposing."

She had visions of herself next door at Rosamund's - it seemed more likely that she would end up working somewhere a pretty girl could earn money for smiling - and wondered if it really could be as bad as she was imagining. Sybil and Gwen seemed happy enough but she...she just wasn't like them and didn't understand how they could let men touch them even if _they_ didn't seem particularly perturbed by their profession. Maybe she could just help out around their house? Rosamund probably didn't have time to make beds or cook food or tidy things and Cora was sure she could learn how to do _something_ that would be helpful! She simply _couldn't_ lie on her back and cut off her mind no matter how quick it all was.

And apart from anything else she didn't really know too much about what was supposed to happen. How on earth was she supposed to pleasure a man if she had never done it before?

"You're not imposin' and do you really think I'm goin' to throw you onto the street? I've got a room upstairs doin' nothing so it's not like you're in the way."

Next to her she felt Sarah shuffle on her stool and wrap an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close against her as she had done the previous night. Cora settled herself in the other woman's arms, pleased to see in the mirror that she at least wasn't getting in the way of Sarah continuing to smoke her cigarette. Surely she would have to do something more than play a few tunes on the piano though? For goodness sake she didn't even know a single song that would come in handy here!

"And I like having you here. You don't get on my nerves 'alf as much as my staff bleedin' do at times and you don't eat much. Well, you claim not to…"

Cora grinned and thought about the night before when, exhausted from her run and the shock she had emerged from being dressed by Gwen and devoured whatever the animal was that Sarah had roasted. She hadn't like to ask what it was, fearing she might not like the answer, but she'd pounced on the meal with more aplomb than she had ever eaten anything. And this morning she had had more eggs and bacon than she'd ever managed before in her life!

"I think the heat is making me hungrier!"

"Oh, that reminds me."

Sarah smiled conspiratorially at her in the mirror and pulled an ashtray closer, putting the cigarette out with finality and pushing herself from the barstool, reaching for Cora's hand. When it was given she led them both towards the stairs up to the rooms kept away from the general customers and Cora wondered whether Sarah would ever oblige her and let her know how much a room for the night actually did cost.

"Where are we going?"

"Your room. I've got somethin' for you. In case you start burstin' out of that dress."

"For me?"

What could she possible have for her? Sarah surely hadn't had time to leave the bar whilst she'd gone down the Sheriff's office and she'd been in the back room when she came back...

Inside her room Cora's eyes immediately fell onto something spread out on the bed that momentarily made her heart stop. It was her dress. Or at least it looked very much like one of hers, but that was impossible surely? All her things had been lost on the road when the bandits surrounded them and Robert hadn't had the sense to just hand over his purse so how on earth could the pretty ivory coloured dress her Mama had given her before she left New York be _here_ of all places?

"If you keep eating at that rate you'll need something else in case that one _bursts_!"

Cora tried to smile and thought she should really just be appreciating the gesture, but she couldn't pretend to be unsettled. She told herself Sarah had just known what she would like and found something amongst the pile of clothes Rosamund presumably had next door. It was just a Sarah being sweet really and the fact that it was the same colour, shape and...material as _her_ dress meant nothing. She was just being silly. When she turned to Sarah she saw her face had fallen dramatically.

"You don't like it?"

"No! I mean, I DO like it, of course I do, it's beautiful, who wouldn't? It just reminded me of one I used to have."

"Oh." Sarah looked back at the dress with an unreadable expression and Cora was sure she'd insulted her and that was the very last thing she wanted. Sarah looked nervous for the slightest of moments of Cora smiled brightly, hating the thought of her kind hostess being put out by her stupid reaction. She was just being silly and girly over a dress that looked a bit like hers but Mama had only purchased it because it was the fashion so why shouldn't Rosamund or Sarah have one similar around the house. She wrapped her arms around Sarah, aware for the first time that she was taller than the other woman even if she felt about twenty years younger than her.

"Thank you. I'm just being silly."

She leant in and kissed Sarah's cheek before turning to pick up the dress with a little more enthusiasm. She had never gotten the chance to wear the dress after all so it would be wonderful to see herself in something like it! She sat on the bed, holding the dress carefully in her lap and grinned up at Sarah sweetly.

"It really is beautiful. You shouldn't have, you're far too kind to me."

"Oh that's alright darlin'," Sarah blushed slightly, clearly not used to being called any such thing. "Ros 'ad it lying about and it's much too fine for 'er to wear and it wouldn't fit me. Must've been made for someone tiny."

She turned and left the bedroom swiftly, turning back for just a moment to mutter "Give us a shout if you need any 'elp gettin' changed," before she disappeared. Cora ran her hand over the dress again, revelling in the softness of the silken material. It wasn't the same as before though, she found she rather _liked_ wearing the simpler dresses she'd been wearing since she arrived here and she would probably stick out like a sore thumb next to Ros' girls. On the other hand if she was going to be here for any length of time then she wanted something to distinguish her from the others didn't she? It would be like a uniform of sorts!

Smiling Cora began to fiddle with the buttons at the back, wondering how on earth she was supposed to get herself into a dress that had been _designed_ with having a maid in mind, and just as she was considering asking Gwen again her fingers froze when they came into contact with the label stitched into the seam. For a moment she thought her eyes were mistaken but surely enough there was a label from the noted New York fashion house her Mama had purchased it from.


	8. Chapter 8

For the third time that night Cora stared at the shelves in utter dismay. What had he said about something being _straight up_?

It was her first night behind the bar – Sarah had made her spend the last four days watching and learning before she'd permit her to be thrown to the mob as the landlady described her customers – and so far things could have been going better. She was a little scared by the carelessness the men had with their gazes and it wasn't helping that the dress she was wearing was one from Rosamund that Sarah hadn't had chance to examine and it was _far_ too tight across her chest, although Cora supposed that fact probably _was_ helping her to remain a figure of fun with the men rather than one of annoyance. Not one of the women in the bar, apart from the friends she had already made, had glanced her way without having clear looks of distaste on their faces and she was beginning to find it upsetting. In New York the way the young women were treated would be a reflection of the respect due to their parents and there was not a soul in New York who would have crossed Susan Levinson, even if she hadn't been married to a man with untold wealth.

Cora reached for the bottle she thought looked the most like the one Sarah had picked up when she'd been asked for the same thing and poured it before Cora had been given much chance to watch her actions. A noise behind her made her spin her head automatically and the motion knocked the bottle flying. Convinced for a moment she was about to cost Sarah even more Cora breathed a sigh of relief when the bottle was promptly, and rather impressively, caught by Thomas.

"'re you plannin' to look at what you're bloody doing at some point?"

She stuttered an apology and took the bottle from him when it was offered, managing to pour out the drinks without any more drama, turning back to the man who had ordered them with a smile and trusting that he was scared enough of Sarah not to dare give her anything other than the full amount of money for the wares. She had quickly learned that all of the customers here knew the stock and the cost better than she ever could and that any man who looked halfway respectable probably had a tab. Thomas had also told her, with something of a malicious smile, that she wasn't to give Rosamund anything on the slate – which she had learnt the meaning for with glee, rolling her tongue over the unfamiliar phrase and wondering what her Mama would think when she found out all the things her little girl had learnt – until the Madam paid up on her current tab. Which, Cora had been somewhat unsurprised to learn, was rather large.

Next to her Thomas was moving with a swift confidence, never breaking into anything that looked especially strenuous, but nonetheless never seeming to take long over doing anything at all. It had taken Cora mere moments on their first night she'd been in this bar to realise that he loved his job more than he would ever admit and was clearly none too pleased to have to share his space with her. He loved being lord of all he surveyed and Cora doubted whether there was anyone, apart from Sarah of course, who could have invaded the young man's territory without earning some kind of sharp look or caustic comment. Impossibly she wanted to get better at this and impress him – the men didn't seem to mind her fumbling too much as long as she smiled whilst she was doing it – but Thomas' was clearly the approval to get and she was determined to achieve that if nothing else.

She took the next order, catching Sarah's eye across the room and smiled, softer and more pointed than she had been doing for the customers, but not less dazzling. For a second she wished for the simplicity they had managed a few days before, when it had been just them in the bar and Sarah had promised to look after her. Before she'd decided it would be a tremendous idea to help behind the bar to pay for her room and before Sarah had given her that dress…

She stopped herself thinking about that and threw herself into what she was doing, entirely the same avoidance method she had used for the past few days whenever the dress had pushed herself into her mind. She'd tried to tell herself she was going mad, even convinced herself for a rather comforting half an hour that the dress might have just been bought in New York as hers had and been sold to Rosamund but it was no use. Whether she wanted to admit it or not the dress was undeniably the same one her Mama had presented her with just before she'd left New York and if she knew her Mama it was probably unique and the chances of anyone else having something similar was minute. The same: impossible. Where it had come from she couldn't begin to fathom and the wondering had made her head hurt so much she'd tried to ignore it, deciding she simply didn't want to know where Sarah had come across her dress. The options did not exactly leave her kind hostess in a favourable light.

Cora was paying so little attention in her attempt to block out her thoughts that she backed right into Thomas with a surprised squeak. He mumbled in annoyance and brushed himself down where the drink he'd been carrying had gone down his trousers. The other side of the bar several men laughed heartily at his predicament.

"Why don't you brush him off sweetheart?"

Cora blushed, partly in utter embarrassment at what she had done but mostly at the undeniably lascivious tone in the man's voice. It could not be more apparent that the men were rather disappointed that it was Thomas with wet clothes moulding around his anatomy and looking up into the young man's face she saw the slightest hint of pink cheeks too, which only served to make the men guffaw louder. Not fully understanding his predicament Cora looked down Thomas, seeing suddenly quite clearly why the men were laughing and why poor Thomas looked positively mortified. The wetness of his trousers, which Cora had assumed would be the main source of embarrassment, had rather soaked him and for the first time in her entire life she saw the outline of _something_ poking through the material, looking rather rigid and, she found she couldn't move her wide-eyed gaze away, was it _twitching_?

Not being entirely stupid Cora of course knew what she was looking at although the actual physical thing itself had never been presented to her in such a way before and certainly in never such…were they all that big? She looked back up at Thomas, finally managing to drag her eyes away with tremendous effort, more to try and save Thomas' blushes rather than because she was losing interest.

"I'm sorry," she whispered out, somehow being conscious that drawing more attention would only makes things worse. She needn't have bothered, the damage had been done and the men were laughing themselves silly using words Cora had never heard before but she got the intention and even in her naïve state she was sure Thomas and she would never be doing anything like _that_! When all seemed like it was lost and Cora was considering throwing water over her chest to try and divert their attention – Rosamund had certainly liked the effect on the first day she'd been here after all – Sarah appeared, like an guardian angel to the pair of them and without displaying any sign that anything was at all wrong she took over her bar again.

The men were quickly distracted by Sarah's clever comments and offers of free drinks for this and that and without turning away from the men the older woman gestured for them both to make a swift exit to the backroom. They didn't take long to take the hint and following after a slightly fuming Thomas Cora joined him in the dimly lit safety of the panelled room.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't see you."

He didn't speak but turned his head to her with a contemptuous gaze that made her feel like she had done something to be thoroughly ashamed of. Cora gently pushed the door to, giving the young man some privacy as he stood in front of the fireplace, arms bracing himself against the mantelpiece and leaning towards the flames – Cora had been surprised when it was lit before but she'd soon discovered that it was preferable to have a hot, smelly room in the evening if it meant a cool, bug free one in the morning. She came further into the room, feeling distinctly as though Thomas' ire was pushing her into the walls such was his desire to keep her away.

"I said I'm sorry, the least you could do is answer."

She regretted her momentary backbone a second later when he turned back to her with extreme annoyance and squeaked slightly when he took a sudden and sharp step towards her, grabbing her arms powerfully. For a moment she felt like crying out but knew it would make no difference – Sarah would never hear her over the rabble of the bar – and she knew there was no point in fighting back. His body was suddenly a great deal closer than she had expected it to be and she felt him pressing against her. It was such a ridiculously intimate gesture that it didn't fit the moment at all and she would have opened her mouth in shock had his lips not descended upon hers that very moment.

She had never been kissed quite like this – true she hardly had a wealth of experience – but Thomas' lips moved artfully and Cora was aware throughout the entire moment that his lips were pressed to hers that even without torrents of love passing between them this was the sort of passionate kiss that should be igniting something. With a little more forcefulness then she would have liked she felt Thomas's tongue probing against her lip and rather than allowing him access she twitched away from him, not wriggling out of his arms but making it clear the kiss was over. She didn't feel particularly threatened by Thomas' presence anymore, which she was quite able to appreciate was a little bizarre, but she knew she didn't want another kiss like that one again.

For his part Thomas looked rather thoughtful and rubbed his lips together contemplatively, all the anger Cora had assumed he was feeling not being even slightly apparent.

"It's funny y'know, no matter how many times I kiss a woman I never get the slightest tingle. In fact," he held her at arm's length, not unkindly, but rather with a sudden camaraderie that seemed to have developed between them in the oddest moment of Cora's life thus far and looked down at his trousers. Cora followed the gaze, still a little embarrassed to think she had been close to that moments before and much to her shock she found that through a combination of the trousers having dried a little and…she could only assume the kiss, Thomas now looked as normal as he ever did. She wasn't entirely sure why but she was quite suddenly filled with the sense that she should feel some indignation.

"Works every time. And Gwen's cottoned on by now so it's no use tryin' 'er."

Cora looked back up at his smirking, smug face and wondered whether the joke was supposed to be on her, him or the men outside. She had a feeling Thomas wasn't going to tell her but she damned if she'd carry on acting the fool he clearly thought she was. She pressed herself closer again, noting with amusement that he looked immediately scared, and smiled as coyly as she had seen Rosamund and her girls doing. Thomas carried on looking petrified of her very presence and Cora knew the young man didn't have the slightest idea how scared _she_ was. She felt his hard chest against hers but, as close as she moved her legs and no matter how many times she felt her hips brush against his similarly thin ones, Cora couldn't feel the same bulge.

"I had no idea you liked me Thomas…I thought I'd be stuck a widow _forever_ without anyone wanting me."

"What?"

She gave him an utterly guileless, innocently adoring look and wrapped her arms around his waist carefully.

"No one's ever kissed me like that before."

He tried to wriggle away, looking desperately at the door as though he were willing anyone up to an including Rosamund to come in and save him. Cora stood on the tips of her toes and kissed his rapidly moving cheek, pretending quite effectively she was aiming for his lips without ever acting having to kiss him such was his movement.

"Look, you've got it wrong! I told you didn't I? I didn't feel a thing!"

Cora smiled.

"I know, and you said it was funny. You know what else is funny Thomas?" She couldn't prevent herself grinning, knowing her mirth was going to spill over into giggling at any moment. "I didn't feel anything either."

It took a moment for her meaning and her change in mood to register with Thomas' mad struggling but eventually he seemed to grasp her words and stopped moving, looking down at her with a mixture of confusion and relief. She thought the look was much more becoming on him than his usual smug style.

"You mean…you don't…?"

"Of course I don't silly," she removed her arms and stepped away from him with long-suffering smile, as though this was a long-standing point of contention between her and Thomas rather than something that had happened in the last five minutes. She felt a stab of awkwardness now that the joke was over that unsettled her. Whilst she had been pretending to be a confident woman enamoured of Thomas she'd been rather enjoying herself – an enjoyment she could only compare to the season in New York – but now she felt rather adrift again.

Thomas surprised her again and laughed. It wasn't mocking as she had half-anticipated but rather cheerful and more than a little relieved. He reached onto the mantelpiece and retrieved one of Sarah's cigarettes, lighting a match still smiling and turning towards her and Cora felt as though she had been allowed to see a side of him few ever did. He turned to the fire and brushed off his trousers with care, quite unselfconscious and suddenly young looking as he finished and smiled over at her again.

"You're alright after all."

"I should hope so. I've got Sarah looking after me too."

He looked for a moment like he wasn't sure whether she was joking or not but said nothing, but the atmosphere had changed. He finished drying himself off and settled onto the arm of the nearest chair to finish his cigarette; Cora followed him and sat on the seat opposite him, she didn't think she was quite ready to sit quite as casually as he was but she supposed it was a good sign that she didn't find it shocking after all. She had a feeling her Mother would not feel it was quite such a positive omen.

"Do you really feel nothing when you kiss women?"

He looked momentarily taken aback but Cora thought he must had recognised the look on her face, the effort it had cost her as a nice society girl to ask something so frank and unusual. He ran his teeth over her bottom lip quickly and looked like he was debating between two answers: eventually he seemed to settle on one and Cora met his eye, trying not to blush again.

"Nope. Never 'ave done."

She scrunched her brow up.

"Don't you think you _might_ find a girl one day-?"

He laughed humourlessly but Cora recognised that the slightly derision wasn't aimed at her.

"No. Look, I just…I don't _like_ kissing women. It's nothin' personal but I…"

"Like men?"

She looked up at him, trying to impress upon him that she wasn't quite the sheltered little girl he had thought she was. She _had_ heard of such things after all even if it had only been in passing and she'd never actually met anyone who had Thomas' preference. She found it odd that when such people had been mentioned in hushed and derisively knowing voices that it had always been presented as a sign of degeneration with society. But there was nothing degenerate about Thomas. As far as she could tell he had greater morals that Rosamund and any of her girls but nobody was going to hang them were they?

"Yes. Don't-"

"I won't tell anyone."

"I wasn't going to say that."

"Oh?"

"I was goin' to say don't think it means you 'ave to _protect_ me or try an' _save_ me or anything."

"I wouldn't. Ever. Thomas, I doubt you're the only one in the world."

He smiled at that, surprising her once more as he blew out a cloud of smoke with obvious pleasure.

"You know? I think you might be right. I might not be the only one in this building in fact."

She smiled and sat up straight, nodding happily at his change of mood without letting on she already had a good idea about what he'd said. Rosamund had told her as much on her first night here after all.

"You just prefer kissing boys and who am I to judge?"

Thomas laughed and tossed his cigarette into the fire after taking a final, deep drag.

"Just like you liked kissing me?"

She rolled her eyes and stood up.

"I didn't, I told you."

"Your husband then?"

"Not really."

She spoke before she thought and fell silent, wondering why a thought like that had burst from her so easily. She hadn't even considered the few kisses she had shared with Robert but she was reasonably sure now, thinking about it, she hadn't felt much more kissing Robert than she had Thomas and without Thomas leading her reaction she might never have put it down to feeling nothing. But that's what it had been wasn't it? Absolutely nothing really. She'd felt more thrilled when Rosamund had stared at her sodden undershirt that first day and looked like she wanted to devour her!

Thomas, to Cora's appreciation, didn't comment and instead pressed a hand to her back to lead her back into the bar.

"Look where I do," he whispered as they opened the door.

As they left the backroom, and god it felt like years rather than mere minutes had passed between them in there, she followed Thomas' immediate gaze and saw it settle upon the well-turned out figure of Tom Branson as he foolishly bent over to pick up Rosamund's handkerchief for what Cora had a feeling was not the first time. She smiled in understanding, feeling for the first time as though she was being included in the secret codes and friendships that she'd found in this town, and turned to him with a sly look she was sure she must have copied off him at some point.

"You're _terrible_ you know that?"

Thomas sucked in his cheeks slightly in what Cora now recognised as a means of controlling himself from outright smiling at her.

"Never tell the old slapper this, but she really is a woman after me own heart sometimes."

She giggled and followed him back behind the bar where his shield of bravado came back up and the slightest hint of a snicker from any of the customers was immediately met with a sneer. As Sarah left them to it Thomas called after her and nodded towards her cigarette case: without bothering to come through the little hatch Sarah leaned over the bar quickly clearly thinking being turned away from the men meant the sudden view down her straining cleavage wouldn't draw comment. It didn't but Cora's eyes trailed over her soft, pale flesh and felt her stomach do odd things.

"I'm terrible?" Thomas smirked at her as Sarah wondered off into the crowd. "You're one to talk."

Cora blushed and, feeling more than a little flustered, she put it down to the delayed heat of the back room and went back to serving drinks with a little more success than she had been having before.


	9. Chapter 9

"I am here for no other reason than to see my daughter sing."

Cora watched Sarah raise an eyebrow as she placed the bottle of whiskey back underneath the bar with flourish. Carson's eyes immediately followed her movement and Cora was sure, with a growing sense of amusement, that Sarah was rather enjoying herself.

"You won't be wanting this then?"

"Now I didn't say that did I?"

The older man gave her a small wry smile and Sarah returned the gesture. Cora recognised in it the long friendship between them and she found herself smiling rather foolishly in their general direction, quite distracted from her task of finding a deck of cards the men had promised her faithfully were definitely to be located on the top shelf with the glasses, thus making her reach up to find them. For a moment she had been confused as to why so many of her tasks seemed to require her reaching up and why Thomas fond the amount of times she did it rather amusing but after catching Rosamund's eager gaze on one of the occasions she'd soon guessed and as much as she tried to rearrange her bodice to cover herself up it had proved fruitless.

Eventually, and with Thomas telling her with a small smile that it would probably make Sarah happy if she managed to bring in more custom and she certainly would doing _that_ she had stopped trying. Let them look. They had plenty of other girls to touch. The only man thus far who hadn't looked, apart from Thomas and even then Cora could have sworn she'd caught him looking with an entirely appraising eye, was Mr Carson. Between that and the clear affection Sarah had for the man she was rather inclined to like him, even if he did have a daughter that had asked her a number of questions about New York in a bored voice before deciding she was too common to bother with - working behind a bar was apparently worse than singing in one - and wondering off to speak to the doe-eyed Sheriff.

Then there was his wife. Cora didn't think she'd ever come across anybody who'd given her a more immediate assessing eye that Elsie and that was saying something after a season in New York society. The woman hadn't looked at her with disapproval per say - the fact that other than the looks she had been nothing but polite told Cora immediately that she simply had to be Mary's step-mother - but there was definitely something in the sharp, clever eyes that had unsettled her. When the family had arrived and Carson had been momentarily distracted by Rosamund giving him a rather spectacular and ostentatious greeting Elsie had shared a few hushed words with Sarah after gazing at Cora for a little while. Whatever Sarah had said to her seemed to have mollified her but there were still the occasional looks that Cora was rather unsettled by. She tried smiling at Elsie as she sat with a number of the other women, playing a rather complex looking game with tiles, but it had been to no avail. Apart from anything else the incredibly severe blue-eyed woman she was sitting with kept drawing her attention back to their game, not at all pleased to be ignored as far as Cora could tell.

"My dear, I advise you not to pay too much heed to my wife, she's of a stock to mistrust anyone she has not known for fifteen years or more."

"How long have you been married?"

Carson retained his still face even as the amusement bubbled slightly in his voice.

" _Twelve_ years."

Cora giggled and abandoned her pursuit of the cards, standing next to Sarah who handed her the bottle for Carson with an encouraging nod. Automatically now Cora bobbed down for a glass and immediately began pouring generously. She briefly turned a subtle gaze upon Sarah and spoke as casually as she could.

"What did she say about me?"

Sarah smiled calmly as ever and reached to brush a lock behind Cora's ear.

"Nothin' much. S'like the mayor says love, she doesn't like anyone who looks a bit dodgy."

Cora raised an eyebrow as she placed the glass down in front of a clearly bemused Carson, looking to Sarah to see if she should charge him and being told with a small shake of the head that he got his drinks for free. Either that or he had a tab as large as Rosamund's somewhere.

"Do I look dodgy?"

Sarah laughed and Cora didn't care what the answer was, she had loved Sarah's rough and inviting laugh since the moment she'd first heard it.

"Everyone looks dodgy in one of Rosamund's dresses. Why didn't you wear the one I gave you?"

Cora's tried to keep her expression as nonchalant as she could whilst her insides froze at the question. She hadn't worn the dress because she preferred not to think about it but she could hardly tell Sarah thought could she?

"Oh, it's much too fine to wear whilst I'm working," being able to say that word banished a little of her unease. The fact that she was _working_ like a normal person was a tonic upon her soul and she managed a much more genuinely felt smile. "I've already made Thomas spill one drink. What if it had gone down my nice dress?"

Sarah seemed to accept this quite readily and even if she had thought of saying something she would have been foiled by Mary taking to the stage to rapturous applause. Elsie looked around the bar as though she could silence them with a single look but it was to no avail, Carson allowed it to continue although Cora was as positive his beady eye was also travelling over the crown as she was that Mary was already rather enjoying herself. There was the faintest flicker of a smile dancing at her lips beneath the façade of indifference as she spoke to Thomas at the piano and Cora remembered that Gwen claimed Thomas sometimes changed notes for her. Perhaps he would do the same for Mary? The thought amused her utterly and she came out of the little bar to take the seat that was being offered to her by Carson. Sarah soon followed suit, looking like she had a particularly unpleasant smell under her nose and Cora giggled as the landlady's eyes kept flicking to make sure her bar was safe, clearly completely uninterested in the impending performance.

She coughed to cover up her amusement when the room went quiet and Thomas began to play a slow, melodious tune which Mary soon began to sing along with.

" _Down by the river there lived a maiden,_

_In a cottage built just seven by nine,_

_And all around this lovely bower,_

_The beauteous sunflower blossoms twine._

_Oh my Clema, oh my Clema,_

_Oh my darling Clementine,_

_Now you are gone and lost forever,_

_I'm dreadful sorry Clementine."_

Cora grew bored of the singing rather quickly. Whilst she had loved music since girlhood she'd have never cared too much for the words that accompanied the tunes and though Mary had a pretty enough voice Cora would admit it was probably more accomplished if also a little more boring that the voice Gwen had displayed two days ago when she and Sybil had taken her for another walk, this one thankfully less eventful – it wasn't exactly enrapturing. She wondered vaguely how Sarah would sound singing.

She looked around the room at the faces of the crowd and was immediately struck with how many of the inhabitants of the bar were, like her, looking around a little aimlessly. She wondered how much more attention they might be paying to the young woman if her Father and Step-Mother were not present and for the first time Cora couldn't hear a single inappropriate catcall coming from anywhere. She scanned the room quickly for a particular face and met Rosamund's glazed expression with a smile - even the redhead's capacity for taking pleasure in the world around her was not quite able to rally any enjoyment for this. Although after the sharp looks that had been sent her way by Elsie Carson Cora wondered if she had finally found someone who was able to chastise the Madam effectively: Sarah probably could, she mused, but didn't seem especially inclined to.

_"One day the wind was blowing awful,_

_I took her down some old rye wine,_

_And listened to the sweetest cooings,_

_Oh my sweet sunflower Clementine."_

Cora's spotted Sheriff Crawley quite near the front, accompanied, as Cora had seen him on every occasion but that of their first meeting, by Deputy Branson. Tom, she reminded herself. She liked the younger man a lot more than she did the elder, which was not to say she particularly _disliked_ Matthew - Sheriff Crawley, she reminded herself - but Tom had been the one to bring her any news he could. Which was admittedly not very much but at least she was making an effort although she couldn't help but notice that he only turned up in the evenings when Sybil was usually to be found somewhere. Which she was at this very moment and looking lovely whilst she did it, she'd been flitting between various gentlemen all evening, returning to Rosamund sporadically either to receive new instructions or hand over coins for…Cora didn't want to know. At the moment she was sat a little to the right of where the lawmakers were, looking quite comfortable on the lap of a man who Sarah had identified earlier as the town Doctor, and occasionally moving her eye line to Gwen as subtly as she could manage.

She followed the look, feeling distinctly like she was following an excessively long series of threads between the townspeople, and found Gwen out of the crowd. It was not difficult; even if her hair had not been quite so noticeable there was a distinct aura of annoyance radiating from her that Cora could feel from the other side of the room. She tried to catch her eye and smile but found it was to no avail - Gwen looked thoroughly put out and rather hurt. She was sat with a rather pretty girl, one who seemed almost as unimpressed with Mary as Cora felt and was sporadically reaching out to squeeze Gwen's arm in friendly understanding. Cora was half-tempted to head across to the table herself but it would have been rather noticeable whilst Mary was still going.

_"I saw her lips above the waters,_

_Blowing bubbles very fine,_

_But was no use, I was no swimmer,_

_And so I lost my Clementine."_

Cora turned back to the singing girl with a slight frown; she'd never heard the song before - not even the melody - and had no notion of what it was actually about. So far it seemed to be something of a twee love song and as this was not especially unexpected she'd ignored the words for the most part, but now they finally registered and she felt a little uncomfortable. It was odd to sing about death wasn't it? Or perhaps it was her feelings after having such a close run in with near-disaster not too long ago. She tried to ignore the rest of the words but they came pushing in nonetheless, she could scarcely do anything *but* listen attentively now could she?

_"Now every night down by the river,_

_Her ghostess walks long past half nine,_

_I know tis her because I tracked her,_

_And by the smell is Clementine."_

Around the room no one else seemed especially perturbed and Cora could only assume it was a well-known song, or else surely someone other than she must find it odd to sing about drowning and ghosts? Or perhaps she was mistaken, from what she had seen people were either annoyed, bored, distracted - as in the case of Deputy Tom Branson who's gaze must have flickered to Sybil a dozen or more times by Cora's counting - and only one person seemed utterly riveted. It certainly wasn't Carson, who had been sharing smiles with his wife throughout the song, both of them seeming to be more interested with the other than the performance. Instead Sheriff Crawley was sitting enraptured and Cora recognised the startled look from the man as the same one he had worn the first time she'd met him and Mary Carson had been present.

Cora smiled slightly at the thought and wondered whether Carson, for he seemed like a sensible enough man, would allow his daughter to marry a man who might make a number of enemies. Of course if he caught the bandits from the road he would have Cora's eternal gratitude.

_"...They'll share the fate of Clementine."_

Finally the song ended and the applause began. It was a little more than polite, people seemed to know not to upset the young woman, but there wasn't any notable enthusiasm and she wondered if Mary had noticed the response she had been getting. It was unlikely. Her type never did and Cora had met enough of them to recognise the features of a self-centred person. She smiled, mostly at Matthew Cora spotted, and left the stage looking rather pleased with herself and Cora supposed that was the important thing really.

Next to her and low enough so Carson didn't hear Sarah muttered, "The sooner she beggars off into married bliss an' I can get Gwen up every night the better."

The affection for the red-haired girl notwithstanding Cora smiled at the underlying tone of Sarah's voice – it could not be clearer that the time she had for Mary was even less than Cora was prepared to give. And she considered herself a nice person too! But no matter how much she tried to like the other dark-haired girl she couldn't conjure up the same fondness she had for most of the other inhabitants of the town and she was grateful that she wasn't expected to interact with the other girl all that much.

Eventually the chatter and buzz around the bar began to increase once more as Mary settled into the seat Matthew Crawley had all but shoved his Deputy out of for her to take. Cora supposed it was sweet in a way but she liked Tom a great deal more and smiled again only when she saw him slowly begin to edge towards Sybil, who was finally on her own again. The two smiled at each other and slipped into a corner for a moment, chatting animatedly about god only knew what. Cora had never thought to ask what Sybil was particularly interested in - on the occasions she'd been around the younger girl there had been a lot more concern on her and Gwen's part for Cora's comfort. Her affection for the pair swelled and leaving Sybil to her beau she turned to seek out Gwen.

"Sarah? Who's the girl with Gwen?"

Sarah didn't even look up from where she was currently rolling a cigarette.

"Edith Gordon. She's runs the school for the kids when she'd not in 'ere spending 'er late 'usband's money."

Sarah smiled as she spoke and Cora guessed that this was another girl the landlady was rather fond of. It seemed as though she had a huge capacity for gathering the young and alone to her door. Cora looked over to Edith, intrigued by the prospect of their being another young widow in town and another wealthy one at that, even if she didn't have any of her money at the present time.

"Is she friendly?"

Sarah looked up at her at long last with a small smile. Her eyes twinkled slightly and Cora was distracted for an odd moment by the movement of her tongue as she licked her cigarette paper: she didn't at all understand the funny feelings she sometimes got around Sarah. Perhaps it was gratitude that made her find everything Sarah did rather endearing?

"Depends who you are really. Go over an' say hello if you like, I'll give you some drinks. If the worse comes to worse Gwen's there to look after you."

She slipped from her seat, stole a match from a man in front of her who was attempting to light his own pipe, and slipped behind the bar quickly, cigarette smouldering as it balanced between her lips. Cora watched, rather impressed with Sarah's steadiness, as not one bit of ash fell from the cigarette whilst the landlady was putting together a tray of god only knew what for Cora to take over to the still morose looking Gwen and Edith.

"What's _that_?"

There was something a rather remarkable shade of green in the bottom of a tumbler and Cora leant over to sniff at it delicately. It had a sweet, herby sort of smell and she was quite sure she had never come across anything quite like it.

"Absinth. The French brought it over a few decades ago an' it'll knock you on your arse as soon as look at you," Cora had no idea what that meant but nodded along at the quite impressive sounding drink. "But Edith's got quite a high tolerance for it an' she's the only one who's not too cheap to buy it."

Cora was amused to note that next to Edith's glass was an unmistakable few inches of bourbon.

"Gwen gets the house bourbon I see," she said, pleased that she was now able to use the right terminology.

"Gwen gets what Rosamund still 'asn't bloody paid for. Besides which the last time I let Gwen 'ave any she gave Tom Branson a free welcome to the town and Sybil didn't talk to 'er for two months."

Cora leaned on the bar; taking up Sarah's attention utterly and not especially worried that after the cease in serving during Mary's song there was a fairly large crowd bothering Thomas for drinks. Cora traced her finger over the knot in the bar she had found on her first night and looked over to Sybil and Branson as surreptitiously as she could manage only to see Sybil once again sat on the Doctor's lap whilst he poured her a glass of champagne. Branson slipped out of the bar into the dark night with a single backwards glance that nearly broke Cora's heart.

"Have they been like that since he got here then?"

"The first bleedin' second."

"That soon?"

Sarah shrugged but Cora detected some sorrow in her answer.

"When you know you know."

Cora nodded and managed a small smile for the other woman but the sadness she felt for the young pair must have still been evident as Sarah's hand soon joined hers on the table top.

"What's wrong?"

"She told me when I first met her that Rosamund would let her go if she wanted to, even give her money, and she still won't...I think she loves him."

"I know she does darlin'."

"Then why won't she-"

"Because the heart's a complicated thing. She's got 'erself set up here and the last thing she wants to do is go and saddle herself with someone who might try and tell her to give it all up. And why should she?"

Cora frowned slightly.

"Well, I don't really disapprove of what they do-"

Sarah looked bemused and patted her hand.

"That's very big of you."

"But hers isn't exactly a business a husband will like her carrying on with is it?" Cora continued, not deterred by Sarah's interjection and not feeling, as she had with Robert that Sarah was going to be annoyed with her for not ceasing her point. "Even if he were the greatest husband in the whole world he won't like his wife being paid to sit on Doctor's laps."

Sarah conceded this with a nod and a sad smile as she pushed the tray towards her.

"True. But it still means giving up her independence and that's somethin' a lot of us have to carve out with our bare hands and won't give up without a fight. Go on, Gwen looks like she needs it."

Cora picked up the tray and began to move away, turning back for a moment to catch Sarah still looking her way with a curious expression on her face. She smiled and remembered what she meant to ask after a moment of utter blankness when her eyes met Sarah's.

"But…she's not really independent now is she?"

Sarah had another unreadable expression that eventually became a small warm smile that conveyed she didn't mind being a little caught out.

"No she's not I suppose. But even so."

She turned away and Cora got the message. She carefully made her way over the two other girls and gave them her most dazzling smile before settling in a seat for what turned out to be a rather pleasant, if raucous, night with friends the like of which she had never had before.


	10. Chapter 10

Cora opened her eyes for the third time that day and was pleased to note that for the first time she was able to do it without her head feeling like it was splitting open and not needing to lean over the bucket Sarah had kindly placed next to her bed after the first time she had woken up. Apparently bourbon was one thing but trying some of Edith's absinth had been a mistake. She had thought there was something wrong with her and had been rather harsh on herself with the thought that Edith was able to function as a normal human being after drinking the stuff but Sarah had told her softly that Edith was more used to it and was probably curled up in her own bed at this very moment anyway.

She reached for the large glass of water on her bedside table that Sarah seemed to have replenished at some point and drank the whole thing in three gulps, feeling immediately better. Sarah had been right after all, water was the best thing for it and as she wiped the residue water away from her lips with the back of her hand she fell back into the pillows and tried to adjust her eyes to the light. Perhaps she should try getting out of bed? She'd felt appalling early and was now a lot more awake and less likely to throw up over her feet after all.

Cora pushed back the covers, the air hitting her still clammy body and glad of the sudden cooling she had achieved. Slowly she managed to sit herself up and swung her legs out of the bed gingerly, feeling the soft rug under her somehow aching toes. She pushed down on the mattress, lifting herself out of bed and trying to stand up as straight as possible. Shuffling round the bed she picked up the dressing gown Sarah had given her and managed to pull it over her shaking limbs, determined that she would see proper daylight today. She had never felt quite so terrible in all her life and she knew she would never, _ever_ drink that much again. Alcohol was lovely but this really was the most hideous feeling.

Moaning lightly with the agony of movement Cora managed to reach the door and opened it gently, looking through the gap carefully to see whether she had in fact slept through most of the day and it was heaving with people. It wasn't and she breathed a sigh of relief and slipped through it, unsure where she was intending to go. She could go down the stairs and sit at the piano but then the urge to play would rise and the last thing she wanted was to make noise and have her head ache more! There didn't appear to be anyone down there anyway so she'd have no one to talk to and nothing to take her mind of the continuing fuzziness and desire to go back to her bed and bucket in despair.

"Afternoon."

Cora turned at the word and saw Sarah standing further down the landing outside the door that led to her own bedroom with an utterly amused expression. Cora scrunched up her forehead and padded slowly towards the other woman.

"Please don't ever let me drink like that again Sarah."

Sarah grinned and placed an arm around her shoulders, leading her into the spacious bedroom Cora had yet to see. She'd certainly thought about what Sarah's personal space might look like and had settled on cosy and practical - she was not disappointed. The layout was more particular than that in the guest room and there was a warm and inviting lived in feel to the room that Cora felt immediately comfortable with. Several bookcases lay against the wall, positively heaving with books and spilling over onto the fireplace mantle and shelves that looked like they were a natural part of the wood Sarah had just taken advantage of. On the little table in the middle of the room there was bread and butter and three different jars of jam, crammed next to a teapot and cups and saucers. She glanced at the clock above the fireplace and guessed that Sarah was taking afternoon tea. Looking back around the room curiously - she didn't think she'd ever seen such an intimate setting that belonged to someone else - she glanced at the bedcovers, which looked homemade and had pictures on them, embroidered patches of shapes, some more accomplished that others and Sarah followed her gaze with a shy smile.

"The kids from the school. Edith 'ad them all do a patch an' then put it all together an' they presented it to me for Christmas a year ago."

Cora fought the urge to 'awwww' and stood awkwardly for a single moment before Sarah pushed the door to and ushered her into a seat opposite her own. Cora could tell where she had been sitting by the swiftly lain down book and tried to look at the title but found her eyes were a little too foggy to focus on something so small.

"It's a lovely room."

"I know," Sarah grinned and reached for the teapot, checking how hot it was and pouring a cup for Cora. "But don't look too much, you'll hurt your head if it moves too much."

Cora took the advice and settled herself back into the soft, supporting back of the padded chair. It felt wonderful and she took the cup gratefully, letting her dressing gown fall apart slightly to let the air hit her skin again.

"I'm serious you know? I want you to personally make sure I never get that drunk again. I don't even remember going to bed."

"I had Thomas carry you."

Cora blushed red and held her cup tighter.

"Really?"

"Really. He didn't mind at all which I thought was a bit odd. He'd not normally so eager to leap to a lady's aid...although I s'pose it depends on the lady."

She sipped her tea carefully, finding the sweet, slightly orange-flavoured tea a tonic and sighing happily as she the warmth went through her and began to make her feel more like a human being.

Sarah held out a plate of biscuits and when Cora refused she insisted, telling her it would be good to settle her stomach and though sceptical she trusted Sarah's word and reached for the nearest one. Sarah, as ever, was quite right and after the first few tentative nibbles she managed the whole thing and reached back for the next one.

"He's being nice to me now."

"Wasn't he before?"

"Not really. But then I never saw him being nice to anyone else either."

Sarah smirked as though this was a private joke between her and Thomas and carefully put her bookmark into place. Cora still couldn't see the name on the spine but judging by the straining shelves that would have made even _her_ Father impressed she doubted there were many books she could mention that Sarah wouldn't know. She looked over to the shelves again and blew on her tea not trusting herself not to drink the whole thing down in one such was the sudden and ridiculous thirst she had developed. It wasn't even like it was that warm in this room but the shelves gave her something to focus on.

Cora's eyes drifted to something under the mirror on the wall but above the mantelpiece that she had originally taken to be part of the wallpaper but there were gaps that made it stand out suddenly. She furrowed her brow, determined that she would be able to focus on that at least and eventually a shape began to form in one of the squares that she recognised well.

"Is that...Ellis Island?"

Cora placed her cup down and let her dressing gown fall from her shoulders, standing up and pleased that the room only swayed slightly - she must be getting better - and coming closer to the image on the wall. It _was_ Ellis Island and it was part of a rather beautiful landscape drawing of New York. She could see the outline of the parks and the gloriously comforting sight of the rows of buildings that had been so familiar all her life. Here on Sarah's wall they had something of an alien quality about them but it was still undeniably New York and she smiled from deep in her heart to see it even like this.

She glanced along the wall, half-expecting a whole wall full of sights of New York but instead she saw London, not as familiar but still wonderfully reminiscent of the world she had once known. She'd been there on her grand tour three years ago - something her Mama had thought was a little pointless given how soon she was likely to get married but her Papa had insisted upon - and it was definitely St. Pauls, next to another drawing of Westminster Abbey and Big Ben that made her break out into giggles.

"Why do you have these?"

She turned back to look at Sarah and even in her fuzzy state she saw the other woman's facial expression and bit her lip to conceal the annoyance she felt at herself for being quite so blasé about the pictures. Whatever they meant to her, whether it was a reminder of the past or a promise of home, their worth was obviously great to Sarah and she smiled with as much softness as she could.

"They're lovely, but...where on earth did you get them?"

Sarah stood up, coming closer and looking as awkward as Cora had ever seen her. Her cheeks looked a little flushed and there was a distinct air of nervousness about her that Cora couldn't explain away. As she had been the other day when she'd presented her with the dress it was undeniable that Sarah looked a little more than embarrassed.

"I did them. I know they're not great, I mean New York probably looks nothing like that and I only saw London for about ten bloody minutes, but they're the best I could manage."

"No! They're beautiful," she looked back at the pictures with a renewed interest. "It looks exactly right."

"I doubt it."

"They do. Trust me," she pointed at the one of New York. "I think Ellis Island might be _exactly_ that distance from Manhattan in perspective and this one," she moved onto Westminster, "The detail is amazing."

Sarah blushed further and Cora refused to give her the opportunity to blush more and brush off the compliments. She'd seen quite clearly over the last few days that Sarah didn't take thanks or compliments well at all, even when she'd just been pretending to be grateful for the dress Sarah had all but ran from the room. She looked further along the wall and recognised more and more locations, some she visited and some she hadn't.

"Paris! Oh I _loved_ Paris. Papa could have spent _years_ going around Notre Dame and Mama loved taking me shopping so much."

Her excitement piqued Cora turned her head quickly to look along the wall, realising a moment too late that whilst the tea had begun to make her feel a little better she was still rather remarkably hung-over and moving her head that quickly was not an especially wise idea. She felt the sickness she thought she'd defeated come rising to the surface once more and her head gave a stab of protest at her movement.

She whimpered gently and reached out to grab Sarah's arm, steadying herself against the sudden light-headedness that overcame her. Sarah, obliging as ever, was soon propping her up with gentle hands and leading her away from the drawings to the plush chairs once again.

"How long will I feel this _ill_?"

Sarah smiled and pressed a gloriously cooling hand to her forehead.

"You'll be fine in a little while as long as you eat something now-"

Cora shook her head in protest and tried taking deep breaths as she had seen her Mama do after an evening of over-indulgence at a party. It steadied her slightly but not enough to be remotely able to contemplate food.

"I don't think I could eat a thing."

Sarah left her side for a moment, standing instead by the little washstand in the corner of the room where she poured water into the bowl and submerged a small towel, ringing it out deftly and coming back to Cora. She stroked back Cora's soft curls and placed the towel on her clammy brow.

"Here, this'll help. And whether you like it or not love the best thing for you is toast."

She settled herself back into her own chair and pulled the bread towards her, cutting a slice and attaching it to a long poker that she put immediately next to the fire. Cora watched her movements with wonder, feeling immediately better for the blissful coolness against her forehead, and quite sure that she had found an angel with untold healing powers the day she had stumbled into the bar. Sarah was looking after her _again_ and it occurred to Cora that she had not spent a moment in Sarah's company thus far without feeling safe and thoroughly cared for. She'd protected her from spiders, bandits, given her a bed and food and paid for her to get in touch with her family - although strictly speaking she hadn't paid at all and Cora had kept the little bit of money hidden in her room until she thought of how to give it back to Sarah without it feeling a little bit insulting to the landlady - and Sarah had even stopped Rosamund from claiming a new girl!

"You're wonderful you know."

Sarah's attention never wavered from the slowly toasting bread but Cora saw the faintest tremor of her still ruby coloured cheek that looked like she was preventing herself from smiling.

"And you must still be drunk."

Cora giggled and reached for her rapidly cooling tea, taking a larger gulp to slick the thirst the dry, warm room was giving her.

"I'm not, but even if I was I'd still think you were wonderful Sarah. You've been so good to me."

Sarah reached forwards - to Cora's half-lidded sight it looked like she was reaching straight into the fire itself - and readjusted the bread.

"I'm sure you'll think of a way to make it up to me darlin'."

Cora giggled again; quite sure that Sarah couldn't have meant it the way that her mind was immediately thinking of. Perhaps being exposed to Rosamund for so long Sarah had grown immune to suggestive phrases such as that but Cora's mind was unable to _not_ think about exactly how she could repay Sarah. It was silly of course but she recalled Rosamund saying on her first night in the town that Sarah might like her tied up in a bow and the image, tantalising as it was, had stuck. She'd thought about it sporadically over the last few days but had never imagined that Sarah would ever want anything of the sort and goodness knows she'd never thought of anything like that before Rosamund had enlightened her on that first night. But then again...Gwen had been right hadn't she? When she'd seen Cora blush after her eyes met Sarah's in the bar - protecting her again - she'd known that Cora was looking at the landlady and she'd said Cora would understand and now she thought she might be beginning to.

She liked Sarah. She'd liked her since the very start and not even realised it.

But it had to just be gratitude didn't it? Sarah had been _so_ good to her after all and she was simply grateful and wanted to do anything to show how thankful she was...including wrapping herself up in a bow. The striking knowledge that she _would_ quite happily do that for Sarah hit her already slightly shaking body with force and Cora felt like all the air had been knocked out of her. Oh god. How could she have lived all her life in New York, surrounded by fashionable and beautiful women, some so respectable that even if Cora _had_ declared her love for them her parents might still have thought it a good match, and yet she had never felt anything like this before coming here. She'd never _loved_ anyone before of course but she'd hoped to learn what it felt like with Robert so perhaps she had just transferred that hope onto the first person she'd seen who'd been kind to her? But surely it would have gone away by now?

Her mouth felt dry again and she gulped more of her tea, to give herself something to do really, and tried to think how on earth she was supposed to respond to Sarah now. It seemed utterly absurd that she hadn't realised something that was so blatant up till now. Her eyes travelled gleefully over the neck of Sarah's bodice as they had in the bar the previous evening when Thomas had smirked at her gaze: good god! Had _everyone_ spotted it apart from her? Gwen had known in seconds, Thomas in a single glance and Rosamund had said Sarah liked her. Maybe she did? Rosamund could certainly smell sex a mile away and she'd be the one to know what her old friend looked like when her heart had been touched.

"What would you like best?"

Sarah furrowed her brow slightly as she turned to her and Cora mentally kicked herself a little, remembering to be gentle at the last moment given how sore her poor head really was.

"I mean, what can I do for you? Once..." Cora hesitated for a moment over something she had been determined not to bring up if she could avoid it. It seemed utterly vulgar to mention such things but there was not going back now and Sarah really _was_ wonderful so maybe she'd take it better than Cora imagined she would. "Once my parents get here, well, they're very rich and I'm sure they'll be ever so grateful for all the help you've given me. I'm sure they'll want to give you something for your trouble."

"I don't need hand-outs."

"I know that. It's not a hand out, just a way to say thank you."

Sarah pulled the toast from the poker and placed it carefully on the plate, replacing the metal to its frame and sitting back in her seat as she reached for the butter knife automatically.

"I see...That's Ros' mind-set darlin' - payment for services rendered an' all that - but it's not mine. I wanted to help an' I'm helping. I don't need paying for being a good person."

Cora felt her heart swell furiously. How on _earth_ had she not noticed how she felt whenever Sarah was like this? It wasn't quite nobility - she'd known far too many noble men to find it a particularly attractive feature - but there was a selflessness to Sarah that she found ridiculously appealing. Her Mother would probably hate Sarah on sight. Susan Levinson didn't really hold with women who didn't have the sense to take what was owed to them but Cora found that for the first time she didn't _want_ to think about what her Mother would say. Susan was thousands of miles away and Cora was a young, free woman who could make her own mind up thank you very much! And she had made her mind up about Sarah in moments and was rather pleased to have been proven right. Whether Rosamund's assessment of her friends desires would come to fruition remained to be seen but a part of Cora that she'd never felt rear its head before very much hoped that they would.

"If they did pay people for that you'd be rich beyond your wildest dreams Sarah."

Sarah smile was small but it was there and she pushed the plate of toast towards her guest with none of the hostility Cora had sensed when Sarah had spoken before. Even if she had she knew it wasn't directed at her somehow and the thought comforted her.

"I told you, I don't want money love."

"What do you want? I'm serious," she placed the cup back down and reached for the toast a little cautiously, not entirely convinced she wouldn't bring it immediately back up given the liberal amounts of butter Sarah had spread on it. "There must be _something_ in all the world you want."

"The sad thing is love," Sarah sighed and replenished both their cups. "That this bar is my world. I came to America thinking I'd see it all but ended up stuck working here and then it was left to me. I've got nothing and no one in the world really so I could hardly turn the offer of a livelihood down."

Cora felt the sadness in her voice, she hadn't _wanted_ to ask how Sarah had come to be in this town when her accent was so foreign, but now she knew it was both better and worse than she'd imagined. There was no terrible story of loss – although Cora had a feeling Sarah might be saving her from the reality of her life – but Sarah was as trapped as she'd felt when she'd married Robert. Her heart went out to the suddenly silent woman and she followed the grey-eyed gaze to the wall again, seeing the significance of the drawings in a new light.

"I can give you all of them Sarah. The places, the cities-"

Sarah smiled softly and looked rather unconvinced and Cora couldn't bear to go on. It felt like she was dangling a treat she had no intention of giving in front of a child and for a moment she couldn't think of anything she could say to make everything okay again.

"I mean it."

"I know you do. Doesn't mean it'll 'appen though. People have been _meaning it_ for years with me."

Cora didn't ask the question that burned on her lips and instead reached out her hand to take Sarah's, gently wrapping her fingers around the rougher ones and feeling her nerves shake with the contact. For goodness sake Sarah had embraced her before and she hadn't noticed how much her body ached for the other woman until this simple touch!

"I'm serious. I promise you I'll take you there one day," before Sarah could cut her off she squeezed her hand. "I really do promise."

Sarah still didn't look convinced but she squeezed Cora's hand back all the same and managed a small smile. She pushed the toast towards her pointedly and a comforting silence fell over them in which Sarah contemplated her pictures once more and Cora discovered – to her utter lack of surprise – that Sarah was right and toast really was the best thing for it.


	11. Chapter 11

The following day, and with her hangover quite cured following a night of peaceful sleep and a great deal more toast and tea, Cora came into the bar having successfully dressed herself for the first time in her life without any help and had something of a spring in her step. Sarah looked up from where she was bent over the bar top casually smoking and reading a paper and smiled.

"You're lookin' better."

"I feel wonderful today. Thank you for looking after me," she grinned ruefully and settled herself onto the stool the other side of the bar to where Sarah was standing. "Again. It's becoming a habit for you I think."

"A nice one though."

They'd carried on talking the previous day, following Cora's attempts to convince Sarah that one day she really would take her to the top of the Coliseum, and Cora didn't think she'd ever spent more time sharing with anyone who wasn't her parents. They'd talked about the places on the wall, Cora's stories making Sarah a little wide-eyed, a look that whilst entirely bizarre on the confident and controlled woman's face had been rather endearing to Cora's eye. Sarah had even told her more of how she came to be in America and it had been almost too sad for Cora to bear. An outbreak of illness in the small village she'd been born in, no family left alive and nothing much to live on other than a little bit of capital that had brought her out to the prosperous new world. Apparently she _had_ technically seen New York but only from Ellis Island and only in the dark and Cora added the wonderful idea of strolling through Central Park with Sarah in the dazzling sunshine to the list of things she wanted to do with the other woman. The thing at the top of the list hadn't changed throughout the afternoon as the fire had reddened Sarah's lovely skin and her dress had seemed to become tighter. Cora thought Sarah must either be so comfortable in her presence that she didn't mind quite how much flesh was on display or else she was implementing a particularly harsh regime of seduction.

From not entirely understanding how she came to feel the way she did by the beginning of the evening, when Sarah had left her to see to the bar, Cora had wanted to trace her fingers over every visible and hidden inch of Sarah's skin. She felt more comfortable in Sarah's presence than ever before and the landlady made her feel a great deal more than merely _safe_ now. And the afternoon had solved another problem. In the midst of conversation about the local area Sarah had let slip that there was hope for her getting her belongings back yet: apparently the bandits were prone to selling their swag and Sarah had told her a story about a woman who'd been robbed around here then three years later found herself being proposed to with her own ring! So her dress didn't seem as troublesome anymore and she'd worn it today happily, even more pleased that she'd managed to wriggle into it on her own. She hadn't trusted herself to try undoing and rebuttoning the various clasps and her Mama still clearly thought that marriage would have filled her out and it was just big enough for her to manage.

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Not in here really, Thomas 'as already done everything that needs doin'. But you can do something for me actually..."

Sarah's head bobbed down behind the bar and Cora's blushed at what her own thoughts inevitably turned to when Sarah said things like that. And was wearing such a stupidly low-cut bodice again.

"I've got a message for Edith that I forgot to give 'er the other night, do you think you could take it to the schoolhouse for me?"

"Of course!" She even knew where the schoolhouse was as it had been pointed out to her by Gwen and she was rather keen to see Edith again. After their initial, rather lubricated meeting she wanted to see if the other woman was as charming by daylight as Cora's hazy mind remembered her being. If nothing else she liked to feel helpful and she could certainly do something as simple as delivering a message after everything Sarah was doing for her.

"I'll go now. That way I can be back in time to help you behind the bar again! And I promise I won't drop a single thing this time."

Sarah smiled and stubbed out her cigarette, rolling her eyes good-naturedly and returning to her newspaper.

"You know, I might start holding you to all these _promises_ and then where would you be?"

Cora picked up her shawl and wrapped herself up carefully, still concerned that the sun was going to burn her skin irreparably. She did rather enjoy the fact that she could go out here without a bonnet though - it did make showing off her hair a great deal easier! She grinned at Sarah and pocketed the letter, not especially concerned for what was inside it.

"Still in the guest bedroom I expect. I haven't made a single promise I don't intend to keep."

She left the bar in high spirits, becoming more accustomed to the sights that greeted her in the town just as the various inhabitants seemed to be getting used to her. Mayor Carson and his wife passed her as she walked down the street - carefully checking where she was going for snakes of course - and both of them smiled politely; she saw the Sheriff escape from his Deputy's company, walking quickly in the direction the Carson's had come from and Cora could only assume he was heading towards the probably unchaperoned Mary. The sun beat down on her but didn't feel as hot as it had before and all in all Cora felt rather happy with the state of affairs. It was as though all the bad things that had happened to her had been washed away with her dawning realisation about Sarah.

Eventually she reached the schoolhouse, immediately standing out from the rest of the buildings with the childish flowers painted on the exterior walls and blue door; through the windows Cora could see several rows of children all paying rapt attention to their teacher at the front. A quick glance at the clock told Cora they were getting close to the mid-morning break and the chalk board showed her that the lesson of the day was history. With a smile Cora thought of how pleased it would make her Papa to see the young at their lessons- he always had been such an advocate for education.

She waited outside, wondering around the schoolhouse aimlessly to kill the time and taking in the marvellous view Edith must have from the back room that served as her living area out of school hours. The schoolhouse was as high as anything else in the town and Cora thought that it was probably the best view anyone could imagine – she could see the gap in the mountains that gave it the name Devil's Rock, something she had missed days before when she'd come running through it wildly. In fact when she'd come through the gap in the mountains it was the first sight she'd had of the town and it wasn't until she looked at it now she realised quite how far she must have ran barefoot, scared for her life. Squinting she could just about see the terrain on the other side of the mountain range, it wasn't flat but from this angle it was skewered, and Cora wondered-

She saw something in the distance that made her heart stop.

Surely it was her imagination and she hadn't just seen a light flash miles in the distance?

It wasn't much, the merest flicker of what looked like a reflective surface but even she could tell that the landscape around here was so dry that the likelihood of it being sunlight bouncing off water was fairly minimal. Perhaps it was scrap metal of some kind? Cora backed away from the view when the light flashed again and she felt her back nudge into something odd. Turning with a frown she found herself reflected back in a mirror the size of a dinner plate. Why on _earth_ would Edith have such a thing here?

Cora reached out and ran her fingers over the edge of the mirror curiously, turning back to look into the distance again. She'd only ever read about things like this and it seemed too mad to think about but before she could think too much about what she was doing Cora nudged the mirror until it caught the light and flashed brightly. She looked into the distance and waited with baited breath to see if anything would happen.

The light shone again. Cora moved the mirror again and was given a series of flashes and flickers that somehow she knew was meant to mean something. Lord only knew what though. This was like something out of a penny dreadful for goodness sake and Cora shook her head as though she could rid herself of the foolish truth before her. Her fingers were still curled around the mirror and she moved it erratically, making it flicker but quite sure that she wasn't managing to convey anything to whomever was sending the flashes to her. And there _had_ to be someone, this wasn't just a random light, it couldn't be.

The bell rang inside the schoolhouse and startled her out of her reverie.

She looked into the distance and saw nothing more: the noise of the children soon broke her out of the state of nervousness she had found herself in and Cora left the mysterious mirror and came round to the front of the schoolhouse. She smiled at the children as they ran past her to their playing area filled with glee at being allowed out of their lessons into the sun and wondered whether she should ask Edith what she had just found.

Inside she found the young woman sat at her desk pouring over something Cora soon identified as a map. She could see the curve of a mountain that looked remarkably like the one in the distance but surely Edith would know the local area? Perhaps she was planning a trip!

"Is that Devil's Rock?"

Edith, clearly having not heard her approach, jumped of her seat slightly and looked up at her with irritation.

"You could have knocked."

Chastised Cora didn't quite know how to respond and squeezed the note in her pocket, reminding herself that if nothing else she had a solid reason for being here and it was hardly her fault she was too light to make lots of noise on the floor. Before she could worry for too long though Edith's expression softened, clearly accustomed to dealing with rambunctious children and not someone her own age.

"Sorry. You startled me. My husband-"

"Patrick," Cora supplied.

Edith looked troubled for the merest moment and Cora was unsure whether it was the memory of her late husband or that she couldn't entirely remember when she had told Cora this information.

"Yes, Patrick," she returned to the brisk tones that marked her usual speech apart from the local drawl, Rosamund's purred words and Sarah's extended vowels. "Well he was shot you see. So I'm not overly fond of sudden noises."

Cora couldn't think _how_ she could have spent an entire evening with Edith not two days ago without stumbling upon this shared loss. It unnerved her slightly how matter-of-fact Edith was in her retelling of such a devastating but she certainly heard sadness in the other woman's voice that made her want to reach to her somehow.

She gestured towards the nearest seat and with a nod from Edith slipped into it, noting at the last minute that it was designed for a child much smaller than her and finding herself a great deal lower than she had anticipated. Edith smirked at her and Cora consoled herself that at least she wasn't going to have to tend to a resurgence of the other woman's broken heart if she was in this sort of mood.

"I'm sorry. My husband-"

"Robert," Edith countered with a quick flicker of her eyes and lips. Cora returned the latter.

"Yes Robert. He was shot too. It's odd isn't it, he's not even been dead a whole week yet and I've thought of myself as a widow since the moment I heard the gun going."

Oddly Robert's untimely desire seemed to trouble Edith a great deal more than thinking about her own husband's did and Cora could only deduce that it had been so long ago now that she felt rather removed from it. Cora certainly already felt like that but she had good idea Edith's feelings for her husband might have run deeper that a slight fondness so it must have been terrible for her. She felt a swell of sympathy and smiled slightly.

"I don't think I could have loved him for anything in the world."

Edith stared down at her map for so long that Cora thought she might not have heard and muttered her name curiously only to have the redhead look up at her sharply with the clear beginnings of tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, ignore me. I'm just being silly."

Cora was on her feet in seconds and round the other side of the table regardless of whether she would be welcome. She wrapped her long arms around Edith's sleight frame and squeezed her as tightly as she could without hurting the woman which wasn't very tightly at all really. She never had been the strongest woman in the world and had been rather embarrassed to see Sarah and Gwen carrying a crate each of some liquor or other a few days ago when she thought she could have managed about two bottles. But she could manage to hug someone!

After a moment Edith began to wriggle in her arms and Cora thought it was a sign for her to let go but instead she was nudged away enough for Edith to stand up and return the embrace with just as much expression of emotion.

"I really am sorry. I only wish…well, that I could have done something-"

"Oh no," Cora spoke quietly, not entirely prepared for everyone to hear her admission. "You see that's the thing. It doesn't feel like much of a loss at all. There really is no need to be sorry."

Edith let her go but still looked sorrowful and Cora wasn't sure how much more she could say, but she tried the only thing she had left.

"I don't even know if he is dead or not really. I _heard_ a gun go off but I didn't see him die…I ran."

For the first time since the terrible moment she felt ashamed of her own cowardice: Mama would have said it was the only sensible thing to do, Papa would insist that Robert would have wanted her to get away because if nothing else he was a true gentleman. A small part of Cora felt dreadful when she considered how much more Sarah would have done had it been her in the place.

It seemed to have done the trick though and Edith looked a little less like she was imminently about to burst into tears. In fact she looked rather embarrassed at her emotions being on such clear display and Cora allowed her to return to her seat and reach for her handkerchief without comment. Eventually Edith gave a quiet, disbelieving laugh.

"I never did ask why you were here."

"Oh!" Cora reached into her pocket and pulled out the now rather crumpled letter with a sheepish look. "Sorry, I almost forgot with the talk and-"

Cora cut herself off with a childish giggle that usually excused her from continuing with her sentence and it seemed that Edith's exposure to children was such that the laugh covered up Cora's near slip in mentioning the mirror. She handed the letter to Edith and couldn't help but wonder what deep rooted instinct had told her that it would be best not to ask Edith about the strangely placed thing: instead she gave Edith privacy to open the letter by looking away and examining the various drawings on the wall.

They were enchanting and Cora soon found herself out of her seat and wondering towards them with a smile on her face at the childish artistic attempts. Some were better than others but she felt a swell of affection for Edith that the quality of the artwork didn't seem to have dictated where they were placed. Apart from one notable exemption that Cora recognised almost immediately. Well, she certainly recognised the artist if not the location.

The simple, striking charcoal drawing was clearly done with Sarah's hand and Cora realised in a moment that she had seen one more in the post office. Did Sarah _sell_ these? She couldn't place the location though, it wasn't as distinctive as the big cities on Sarah's wall but the love that had clearly gone into drawing it shone through and Cora turned back to Edith with a curious smile.

"Is this where you want to go?"

Edith looked up from the letter she was half-way through and seemed nervous for a moment before she realised what Cora was asking her. She smiled and looked to the drawing.

"I wouldn't mind too much. It's where I'm from though. Hampshire?"

Cora glanced back at it with a small frown.

"It doesn't look like any part of it I know and I do know a lot of it, Papa is from there."

Edith giggled and returned to her letter.

"Not _New_ Hampshire. Just Hampshire. Winchester specifically. I met Patrick there before we decided to come out here."

Cora turned back and examined the drawing with more care and concluded that it certainly did look English after all. There was a Cathedral in the background and the faintest hint of a shoreline in the distance and overall the effect was rather beautiful – how did Sarah have such an eye for these things?

She turned to speak to Edith again but found the woman on her feet with the letter in hand, folding it up thoughtfully and looking disturbed for just a moment before she caught Cora's eye and smiled.

"If you don't mind can you tell Sarah that its fine and I'll see to it?" Off Cora's confused look Edith smiled and shook her head. "Honestly, I don't know why she's being so official about asking me to pay my damned bar tab!"


	12. Chapter 12

Walking back to the bar Cora wondered at the bizarre interaction she'd just had. It did seem a little implausible that Sarah had gone to the trouble of sending a letter to Edith in order to tell her something Cora had four times seen the landlady shout at Rosamund across the bar. It was possible that she considered Edith more worthy of gentile treatment she supposed but it was still odd. And that was before she began to consider the mirror at the back of the schoolhouse that had no place there and looked like it had a twin somewhere in the distance.

Utterly unsure quite what to make of the morning's events Cora ambled back to the bar without any great speed and considered if there was a way of asking Sarah about the oddness she had come across without sounding like a madwoman if there was a perfectly reasonable explanation for it all. The letter probably _was_ about the bar tab after all, and the mirror was probably just a relic from years before or perhaps Edith had used it to teach the children something and forgotten it was there? And the other lights in the distance had just been her imagination – they had to be!

She quickened her step, smiling brightly at Tom as he carried a tiny bunch of freshly picked flowers and even waving at Rosamund when she saw the other woman in her bedroom window. Rosamund didn't seem to have seen her though and promptly dropped her dressing gown and advanced on somebody who must already be in her bed. Cora looked away with a blush but not before she got a rather direct eyeful and felt herself heat up rather dramatically. She had never seen another woman's breasts before – hadn't even _thought_ about any such thing until she'd been here with Sarah and her rather on display cleavage – but she found the image of Rosamund burned into her mind, as she imagined it had been to countless others. She stumbled back towards the bar, seeing Gwen through the open door as though she were a sentry guarding the doors of Sodom whilst her mistress was busy elsewhere, no doubt earning more in one go that Gwen could in a week.

Cora scurried into the bar as quickly as she could, letting the saloon doors swing back and forth in her haste to get inside and away from the thoughts now assaulting her mind. If Rosamund looked that good without her dress then god only knew what Sarah would look like out of hers…Cora tried to clear her head but it became rather impossible when Sarah appeared out of the backroom with a wide smile that made Cora melt with fondness.

"There you are love: I've been waiting for you."

It was said so simply and directly that Cora didn't think she could stand it and she smiled back feeling more than a little bit dopey. But what was she supposed to do? How on earth was she supposed to stomp on her racing heart when it was starting to beat a great deal more than it ever had for Robert and she finally, _finally_ seemed to be discovering what desire felt like. She'd never been told about it but had seen the look in her parents' eyes more than once: Susan and Isidore Levinson were far from subtle with their affections and loved each other far too much to feel they had to hide it from anyone.

It had been years since she'd first seen that glance between them but in between door cracks she'd listened to her Mama and her closer friends talking about things she was most definitely not supposed to be overhearing. And then there had been her Papa's books and she had a sneaking suspicion that as she had gotten older her Mama had purposefully left things around for her to find. It wasn't that her Mama was especially determined to corrupt her but Susan Levinson had a way of thinking that her daughter needed educating in things that would aid her later in life that Isidore would probably have kept her ignorant of forever if he could. But she had never _felt_ anything quite like it before, had never understood how gloriously painful it was to burn for someone like this and god she was burning for Sarah.

"You have?" She managed to squeak out, trying to regain control of the tone of her voice before Sarah inevitably began to notice that something was odd. She could hardly tell Sarah what she'd seen through Rosamund's window could she? The landlady would think she was terribly nosey and probably be a bit indignant on her friends behalf even if Cora was sure that Rosamund was quite aware that she could be seen and the practice of leaving the curtains open was entirely for the benefit of anyone who happened to be passing. Quite apart from brightening someone's day Cora had a feeling that Rosamund probably attracted a lot of trade that way! "I haven't been long have I?"

"No, not too long."

Sarah furrowed her brow and came forwards a great deal quicker than she had been walking before, reaching up a hand to press to Cora's forehead.

"Are you alright?"

Cora leant into the touch and had to concede that she was hot - perhaps being in the sun really had affected her more than she thought? It couldn't _just_ be Rosamund and Sarah could it?

"I think I'm just a little hot," before she could even finish her thought Sarah began to lead her into one of the booth tables she didn't normally sit in. She _had_ done on her second night and promptly fallen asleep on Rosamund's shoulder only to be woken suddenly by the other woman fiddling with her bodice. Sarah slipped into the seat next to her with an infectious smile.

"You'll want to be well for this darlin'. I've got a surprise for you."

Cora smiled back and reached up to take Sarah's hand, feeling the touch sear through her but glad for the contact even if Sarah's cool hand against her forehead would have been a great deal more effective without Sarah's body being close to her own. She thought about shuffling away, Sarah would just think she was offering her more room after all, but decided against it: it was possible that Sarah would follow suit and come closer but it was equally possible she wouldn't and Cora didn't like the odds of Sarah staying away.

"A surprise? Another dress? You're far too good to me you know?"

Sarah grinned.

"I know I am, but this hasn't been a bit of trouble," she reached into the pocket of her dress - a rather surprising dusky yellow that with her falling hair suited her magnificently - and withdrew and envelope with relish. "It arrived this morning. I've been getting Thomas to check the post office for you every few hours or so."

Elation overwhelmed anything else Cora might have been feeling and she reached for the letter with wide eyes and felt rather like all the air had been knocked out of her. She hadn't _forgotten_ about the note to her parents and had been longing for a reply but she found she was settling so well into life here that it hadn't seemed like the most important thing from one day to the next. She slipped her fingers underneath the seal and pulled it open carefully, not wanting to damage a single word on whatever note was inside. She pulled out a single sheet of paper, another telegram that she knew her parents would have sent with the greatest possible haste.

She turned it over and read quickly, missing a few words and then going back over it.

DEAREST CORA STOP

OH MY DARLING STOP WE SHALL BE WITH YOU AS SOON AS WE CAN STOP YOUR FATHER HASN'T SLEPT STOP IF YOU'RE NOT BEING LOOKED AFTER THEY'LL BE HELL TO PAY STOP BANDITS WOULDN'T DARE COME NEAR US THE MOOD WE'RE IN SO DON'T FRET DARLING STOP

HOPE YOU'RE NOT TOO SAD ABOUT ROBERT STOP

MAMA AND PAPA

Cora clutched the note between her fingers with force until she felt like she could will the ink and the words into her veins. She could _feel_ her Mama in this note and she wanted to be held by her so much it nearly made her cry for a moment but it was all okay! They were coming for her and she would be home and safe as soon as they could feasibly manage.

She looked up and met Sarah's eyes with her own watery ones, passing the note to the woman who's face already suggested she knew what she was about to read. Sarah's face didn't alter once as she read the note but she did manage a small flicker of a smile once she had finished.

"Well I hope she thinks the accommodation's up to standard."

"Oh she will. She'll be so grateful and so will Papa and I'll be sure to tell them how much you've looked after me and-"

"I know, they'll give me a wad of cash and tell me not to spend it all at once."

Sarah's tone was not nearly as excited as it had been when she'd actually given her the note and for the life of her Cora couldn't understand what had changed. Surely Sarah knew what it would be? She wouldn't have been as giddy to see Cora's reaction if not would she? Sometimes, Cora thought, the other woman was really rather exceptionally queer. For a moment she pondered whether it was something to do with their difference in class but quickly dismissed that. She had been training herself not to think like that anymore and felt like the friendships she'd made her were a little sullied when she _did_ think like that.

"They'll be very grateful..." She blushed. "They couldn't ever be as grateful as I am though."

"That you got attacked by bandits?" Sarah snorted without humour.

"That I found you," she blurted before she could stop herself before she blushed more. "I'd have been lost without you."

Sarah smiled at her properly and reached for her hand, squeezing it gently and Cora returned the gesture, still with tears in her eyes. Carefully, not wanting to make a complete fool of herself, Cora wrapped her arms around Sarah and laid her head on her shoulder with a sigh.

"I'll miss you."

Sarah's arms followed suit and Cora sighed quietly at the feeling, wanting to revel in this embrace for as long as she could before it inevitably had to end and she'd have to leave Sarah's arms and her bar and her life.

"No you won't," Sarah spoke softly and there was more than a hint of sadness that made Cora squeeze her tighter, as though she could somehow make the cause of Sarah's sudden melancholy go away with her presence. "You'll get back to New York and within a few days everyone you've known 'ere'll just seem like they were all part of a bad dream."

"No! Not you," she felt the tears welling up and willed herself to think of something, _anything_ that would make Sarah stop sounding like that. It hurt her to think of the other woman feeling sad in any way. "Never you."

Sarah pulled back a little and smiled, a little indulgently, a little hopefully Cora thought.

"I'm not very important love."

"Oh god, you are..."

Before she could stop herself, before she could talk herself out of it based on what a terrible idea it was Cora leant in and pressed her lips to Sarah's for the briefest of moments. It lasted long enough for her to be able to taste a hint of smoke and tea before the saloon doors swung open again and she pulled away, beet red and it was made worse when she turned to see Rosamund framed by sunlight. The redhead looked ruffled but rather pleased with herself and her lips looked like they were battling between a smirk and lascivious comment.

Cora tried to shuffle from her seat but found herself nearly half in Sarah's lap before she remembered she was quite trapped in and shuffled all the way round to the other side of the booth swiftly. Her cheeks blushed furiously but she caught Sarah's gaze and saw the other woman still smiling at her kindly – it made her slight faux pas a bit better and she was sure Sarah would think of what to say to Rosamund.

"I think I should go and take a bath, before my last night."

Sarah frowned and called after her as she scurried past.

"I don't think they'll get here that quickly love."

Cora turned back to her on the stairs and found that at this height and with Sarah at that angle she could see rather clearly down her bodice. She felt the blush travel down her body, across her neck and down her chest before the heat settled in her groin; she was left rather breath taken by the utterly unusual feeling but managed to cover it with a bright smile.

"I know. But I suppose every night could be my last night now, I intend to make the most of every one of them."

"I'll make sure of it."

Rosamund made a noise that was halfway between a strangled yelp and a snicker and Cora decided she was better off knowing. The feel of Sarah's lips made her heart race and she still had the indelible image of Rosamund's breasts on her brain and she had a feeling a hot bath, whilst usually something she relied on rather heavily, was not going to cure her aches.

She all but ran up the rest of the stairs, looking back down briefly to see Rosamund settling opposite Sarah and beginning a conversation that looked rather more serious than she had anticipated, before she slipped into her room and began to fathom how she was supposed to get herself a bath without going back down stairs.


	13. Chapter 13

Cora curled up next to Sarah with a contented smile. She felt safer here with her than anyone she had ever known and sitting here with her after a hard night of work felt real; her feet ached, but not from running for her life as she had last week, this ache went up her legs and made her muscles tense but she felt pleased with herself for the work she'd done. Thomas had snickered at her lagging towards the end of the evening but she had persevered and he'd been ever so kind about helping her reach things on the high shelf. The men seemed to like it more when she reached up but Thomas had quickly stopped her doing it for some reason. He was sweet sometimes and his looking at her as though she were a silly child had thankfully ceased but he was still a little unnecessary.

She sipped her drink, the now familiar bourbon sliding down wonderfully and she purred with pleasure at the moment. She was warm and well looked after by Sarah and her parents would be coming for her any day now! She wanted to go home of course but she was quite happy where she was for the time being and after the day she'd have she didn't intend to move from her place next to Sarah for a good long while.

The evening had seemed busier than any before but Cora had been utterly unable to put the kiss entirely from her mind. For one glorious moment she had felt her heart beat as it never had before and had Sarah's soft lips against her but Rosamund's interruption, and her own shyness when she'd eventually emerged from her room later on had prevented anything similar happening again. She'd spent most of the night looking at Sarah whenever she could though and the landlady had been on particularly good form tonight, bantering with everyone from behind her bar and cutting a path through the crowds with practiced ease. She looked beautiful and so at home that it broke Cora's heart to think of Sarah still being here, where she thrived like a butterfly, whilst she went home to the safety of New York. She loved her home of course but there was not challenge in it anymore: she'd realised how easy everything in New York really was the moment she'd kissed Sarah and felt that all the problems it would lead to would be worth it for the chance to kiss her again and again.

Cora curled herself closer, using the muttered excuse of being cold and trying to remember every moment of this wonderful touch. Given the liberty she had taken earlier she'd been a little bit surprised when Sarah had invited her into her bedroom and then held out her arm for Cora to curl up but she was not going to discard such an opportunity on account of her own lingering embarrassment.

"You could always come back with me for a visit?" She grinned into the fire at the thought, feeling Sarah's amused laughter being held in at her tentative offer. "I'm sure Mama and Papa won't mind after everything you've done and you said you wanted to see New York."

"I want to see a lot of things darlin'"

"Well I'll give you them all then."

Sarah sighed deeply, draining her own glass in one rather impressive moment and fiddling with the glass awkwardly. Cora hated it when she got like this – Sarah's silences invariably meant she was amused or sad and Cora knew she had not said anything especially humorous.

"You can't. Even if I wanted to see those places-"

"But you do! I can see the drawings from here Sarah!"

Sarah rolled her eyes and carried on.

"Alright, I _do_ want to see them, but I can't," she cut Cora off before she could be cut off in her turn. "My whole life is tied to this bar, this place IS my life. I've got nothing else in the whole world except this place and I'm scared to bloody death that if I leave it alone for even a moment it's going to burn down or people'll start shooting or it'll spontaneously combust or somethin'… If I leave it I've got nothing and to be honest love I don't think I could anyway. I love this bar. Christ, I'd marry it if I wasn't scared Rosamund'd take that as a challenge."

Cora giggled again and sat up carefully, reaching for the bottle on the table and turning to Sarah expectantly. She found the landlady looking at her in a way Cora had come to identify as meaning Sarah was pleased with her.

"I'm serious. I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have this place."

"Get another job?"

Sarah smiled softly.

"I suppose I could…you don't need a maid do you?"

Cora grinned and filled both of their glasses with newfound ease.

"No, I don't think I do. Not now anyway."

"A bartender then?"

"No…and goodness knows I don't need a husband," she smiled into her glass and felt her cheeks blush before she even spoke, knocking back the drink as she felt the burn. "I wouldn't mind a wife I suppose."

Sarah smiled softly and stroked her fingers across Cora's soft brow, smoothing them through her hair and leaning forwards to press a kiss to her cheek.

"I'd be happy to do that love," she hesitated for the slightest moment, a moment in which Cora wondered whether she'd imagined everything so far, before ghosting her lips over Cora's with the same gentleness that the younger woman had used earlier when she'd kissed the Sarah. The gesture felt different despite the emotions Cora was _sure_ were behind them and goodness knows the situation was a great deal more promising. Rosamund was hardly likely to dare enter Sarah's room at this time of night…besides which she was probably busy with her own exploits next door.

Cora sank into the kiss, revelling in the firm press of Sarah's soft, soft lips against her own and determined that it would not end this time. She wouldn't allow it to end. It was her last night, tomorrow her parents might be here to take her home and she might never see Sarah again for as long as she lived and if nothing else she wanted to carry the memory of this night. Her parents might make her marry again – she'd have to be a wife someday – but she wanted the first time, _her_ first time, to be with Sarah and her rough hands and adoring smile.

Cora broke the kiss for a moment, smiling sweetly and rather impressed with herself that she hadn't immediately renewed the contact, and she placed their glasses carefully on the table. She pressed her lips against Sarah's again, moaning breathlessly when the landlady ran her hand up her back and pulled her closer. Cora shuffled on the sofa and pulled herself up onto Sarah's lap with a smirk that she tried to feel but the fluttering nervousness of her heart overcame any bravado she might have been able to achieve.

"Are you sure you want to?"

Cora looked down at Sarah and rolled her eyes in a fair imitation of Thomas' most piercing look of irritation.

"Of course I do darling. I might not be very strong but I got away from bandits and I'm sure I could get away from you if the feeling took me. Not that I'd ever want to of course."

She grinned and leant down for another kiss, wrapping her hands around Sarah's shoulders to give herself leverage to get lost in Sarah's lips. She felt Sarah open her mouth invitingly and for a moment wasn't too sure how to respond but any tentativeness was soon quashed when she felt Sarah's soft, warm tongue moving against hers. She moaned deep in her chest at the contact and responded to the new sensation with enthusiasm, parting her own lips and creating a battle for dominance that she had absolutely no intention of winning.

Cora whimpered when she felt a hand on her hip, the touch searing through her skin despite the clothes in the way and dragged the tips of her fingers down to the top of Sarah's bodice. She broke the kiss and bit her lip, brushing her digits over Sarah's soft skin and wriggling her hips against the other woman's provocatively.

"Shall we-?"

Sarah pre-empted her and pulled them both to their feet, wrapping her arms around Cora's waist with a smile and kissing her soundly before leading her towards the bed. Cora tried to control her breathing but the prospect of the bed was almost too much for her fragile nerves: she'd seen this bed so many times now with its knobbly wooden frame and specially made quilt and she'd thought about Sarah here more than once. But this was so much more than thinking about it! Sarah was holding her hand and gently stroking her knuckles encouragingly, placing soft kisses against her cheek and rubbing her back carefully. It all felt so wonderful but Cora was so sure she was going to do something wrong and the last thing she wanted was for Sarah to think she was pathetic…she supposed the best thing for it was bravado.

"We don't 'ave to."

"You don't have to keep saying that Sarah," she wrapped her arm around Sarah's waist, leaning in to press her lips against Sarah's warm shoulder, peppering tiny kisses over the exposed skin and bringing her free hand up to undo the clasps of Sarah's dress. "If I didn't want to I wouldn't be here."

Her fingers weren't especially quick over Sarah's dress but after what felt like an eternity she had the bodice undone and had been concentrating so much she'd scarcely noticed that Sarah had managed to achieve the same effect. She smiled softly and let the material fall from her shoulders and kept her arms still as Sarah fell to her knees to tug the dress down. She whimpered at the contact, reaching her fingers out to run through Sarah's hair and removing the pins that were still holding the curls in place. She kicked the dress away and reached down to take Sarah's hand, pulling her to her feet as Cora sat down on the bed, reaching up her hand to tug Sarah's dress down. The other woman wasn't wearing any kind of undershirt and Cora's mouth ran dry when she was finally able to see the body she had been dreaming about for days now. She squeaked with pleasure and allowed her eyes to roam over Sarah's gloriously full-looking breasts as she pulled on the woman's hand and lay down, inviting her to kiss her and moaning into her mouth at the exquisite and new feeling of Sarah's wonderful body against hers.

Her arms wrapped around shoulders wider than her own and she ran her fingers up across Sarah's neck and into her hair as the woman slid down her body slowly, dancing kisses across her collar and the tops of her breasts. Sarah met her eyes with a devilish sparkle in her eye and Cora shook underneath her. She didn't want to be so childish about all of this and goodness knew it felt absolutely wonderful to have Sarah's warm body so tantalisingly close but she felt like she had to tell Sarah the truth. Sarah would stop if she asked her to, she knew she would, and god knows she didn't _want_ her to stop, but she should tell her shouldn't she? It wasn't fair to let Sarah carry on without – oh _god_! Her lips felt sensational against her neck! – telling her the truth: she probably wouldn't mind, but Sarah was labouring under the illusion that her marriage meant she had been a _proper_ wife. She was half-glad she hadn't been but it made her tremble with the unexpected and she couldn't hold it in anymore. She ran her fingers through Sarah's hair as the woman peppered kisses across the skin above her collarbone and enjoyed the silky sensation before there was the chance it might not happen again.

"Sarah, I've never done this before."

She'd expected an immediate cessation of the kissing but instead Sarah surprised her and merely looked up from her place with a curious smile.

"I know I'm s'posed to stop askin' but are you sure you don't want me to stop?"

"No! God no!" She moved her fingers lazily through Sarah's curls to give herself something to do to distract herself from her rather longing admission and tried to pretend that the added redness of her cheeks wasn't due to embarrassment. "I just wanted you to know…I don't know if it makes any difference..."

Sarah pushed herself up from her position at Cora's chest and rolled off the younger woman without any sign of being annoyed or upset. She reached out a hand and squeezed Cora's, holding their hands up together and linking their fingers together before rolling onto her side and glancing down, brushing a lock of hair out of Cora's face. Cora for her part was close to being utterly mortified - she and Sarah had been so close and she _wanted_ the other woman to touch her more than she knew how to describe and now she had Sarah's breasts pressed against her side but with her foolish uttering she had just ruined everything hadn't she?

Sarah wouldn't want her now. She would probably think she was boring and pathetic for still being a virgin at her age and married too! How on earth was she supposed-

"It does make a difference darlin'."

Cora closed her eyes and waited for the inevitable. At this rate she'd die an old maid, it seemed no one wanted to take you to bed if you were a virgin and no one wanted to marry you if you weren't!

"I won't be borrowin' any of Ros' more _adventurous_ artefacts for a good long while for a start."

Cora's eyes flew open and for a moment she thought she must have misheard until she caught Sarah's merrily dancing eyes and burst out laughing.

"I really do dread to think."

"Trust me, you don't want to know," Sarah smirked and slid back on top of Cora, reaching up a hand to tantalisingly pull at the buttons of her undershirt one by agonising one. "Well," she leant down to press her lips to the hollow between Cora's rapidly appearing breasts, "Not yet anyway."

Cora's breath caught in her throat and she felt the juncture of her thighs becoming hotter and tighter by the second, hoping to god that Sarah knew how to relieve her of this wondrous ache. It had been getting worse for days now, made worse every time Sarah bent over and her cleavage was on wonderful display and given a sharp rise when Rosamund's perfection had been on display earlier. But it was Sarah and Sarah alone and she'd known that since the beginning and with her lips brushing over her skin with the promise of where they might go next one thought entered Cora's mind and she smiled through her lust - she loved Sarah.

Sarah's fingers made quick work of the buttons of her undershirt – a garment she only wore out of habit – and looking up at her with adoration that nearly made her cry Sarah slowly peeled the material away from her breasts. Cora felt the blush that had been travelling down her neck become almost painfully hot and spread across her breasts and she gasped at Sarah's gaze on her flesh.

"Shhh, it's alright darlin', it's all alright."

Sarah linked one hand through Cora's, giving her something to ground her and cling to when Sarah leant down, eyes never leaving hers and brushed her lips across her breast. Cora whimpered immediately at the press of her lips and stroked her fingers across the back of Sarah's head, holding her gently in place and encouraging her on. The move of Sarah's lips was exquisite and for moment Cora felt like her heart was going to stop when Sarah carefully latched her lips onto her dark pink nipple, lapping at it until it was hard and tighter than Cora thought possible and she thought she might be going mad with lust.

"Sarah…!"

Outside she could hear revellers heading home, most of them coming back from Rosamund's establishment and they all sounded in high spirits but Cora couldn't for the life of her understand how anything bought and paid for with Ros' lovely ladies could ever be as glorious as this. Sarah was magnificent and was touching her like she was made of gold and she was doing it for nothing but…she didn't know if it was love but it was certainly better than anything that could be bought and much better than Robert could ever have hoped to be.

Sarah's tongue worked magic over her sensitive breast whilst her other hand came up to squeeze the other one, making her nearly cry with the sensation of pleasure shooting through her. She wriggled underneath Sarah and pulled the woman up to meet her lips desperately, running her hands over her back and clinging to her for all she was worth. She felt as though she wanted to melt into Sarah utterly and never be alone again. This touch made her alive more than anything ever had before and having a sudden burst of inspiration Cora maneuverer them both until she was able to roll on top of Sarah and sit astride her.

"You didn't think I'd be completely useless did you?"

"I'd never 'ave thought any such thing love...after you managed to get my dress off I'm already impressed and waiting for more."

Sarah smiled and winked up at her, running her hands up Cora's thighs, pushing the material out of the way as they got higher and settling them on her upper thigh. She kept them still, not teasing Cora unduly but still tantalising her with the promise of what might be. Cora recognised it as Sarah offering her the floor, letting her take control for the time being and felt a swell of affection for her- she grinned and thought the word _lover_ with relish.

"Well, I'll do my _very_ best darling, but I hope," she stopped for a moment and tentatively reached her hand out to palm Sarah's breast, feeling the wonderful weight of it and running her thumb over a pebbling nipple. "I'm not a disappointment."

Cora needn't have worried. She followed her thumb with her tongue and Sarah arched off the bed into her touch with a gleeful cry and ran her fingers through her curls carefully, lovingly, and Cora for a moment allowed herself to believe that Sarah loved her. She didn't _need_ to believe it to let the woman make love to her – she had always entertained the notion of not marrying for anything but the realest of loves, a thought that had been quickly squashed – but she loved Sarah.

"You're perfect darlin', I knew you would be."

Cora smiled and looked up as Sarah had done but didn't think she could ever have managed quite the same roguish grin.

"Did you want me from the first day?"

Sarah laughed quietly and gently and ran her hand further up Cora's legs, settling over her hip and pushing her dress up higher, fiddling with the underwear they'd had to all but bribe Rosamund out of at the beginning of the week. She followed the line around to Cora's inner thighs with her fingers and brushed them tentatively over the damn centre of the knickers inordinately pleased to find how wet they were and feeling a stab between her own thighs when Cora squealed in surprise at the touch. She sat up, pulling the remaining material over Cora's head with a wolfish grin.

"From the first second love."

Sarah rolled them over again, tossing the undershirt away and leaning down to kiss Cora gently as one hand descended over breasts and stomach and the tops of her knickers. Cora clung to her back with grasping hands, her fingers digging into Sarah's back to give herself some leverage and unable to stop the torrent of glee that spread through her heart, erupting in breathless laughter and a throaty moan.

"I'll be-"

"Sarah, I don't need you to _be_ anything. Just don't stop."

Sarah brushed another lock of hair from her face and smiled down at her softly, leaning down for a gentle kiss that belied the passion she felt. Cora smiled around the kiss, happier than she'd ever been in her life, and moved Sarah's hand back to the top of her underwear, losing herself utterly in Sarah's touch.


	14. Chapter 14

Cora woke to the aroma of coffee and toast wafting through the room and the comforting smell of a warm bed recently slept in by another body. She smiled and sighed and rolled over under the covers, revelling in the feeling of comfort and safety. She looked over the tower of pillow to the little clock Sarah kept by her bedside and noticed something rather glaring, along with the time.

Sarah wasn't here. The indentation on the bed that had been hers was still very much present and Cora reached out to run her hand along the space in the bed, feeling the remaining warmth under the sheets and longing for her lover to return. Where on earth was she anyway? It was much too early for her to be bothering with opening the bar and they'd rigorously cleaned it with Thomas only last night.

The door opened and Cora squeaked, convinced for a moment that it was going to be Rosamund trying to catch a glimpse of her in her naked state but instead Sarah appeared in her dressing gown with her hair loose and rather more scruffy than Cora had ever seen her and carrying a tray. She smiled up at her from the bed and allowed the bedcovers to fall away from her body as enticingly as she could manage. She felt different, more alive than ever before and as though she were finally part of the great mystery of human existence and Sarah had been so wonderful and thorough about introducing her to it that she blushed now thinking about it all. But she felt emboldened by the change and shuffled over to create a space for her lover – the word still made her gleeful to so much as think about – and the wares she was carrying.

"I thought you might need somethin' to get your strength back."

With a smirk Sarah laid the tray over her lap, being careful in her placement and so precise that Cora thought she simply must have done it before but she pushed that unpleasant notion from her mind. Sarah was hers now whoever might have gone before – given the things she had shown her last night Cora was certain that Sarah certainly _wasn't_ a virgin – and she was determined that nothing should ruin the time they had left together. She refused to think about what could happen tomorrow or the day after or even today…

"I think I can manage some toast," she looked down at the rather excessive stack and back up at Sarah with a raised eyebrow. "Not all of this though. Unless you're trying to make me fat?"

Sarah grinned and leant down to kiss Cora's forehead, stealing a piece of toast from the pile with a flourish and settling herself on the side of the bed, careful not to dislodge the tray. With the toast still in her mouth she poured two cups of tea and nudged one towards Cora.

"I wouldn't dream of it darlin'."

Cora took the tea and looked over the rim at Sarah, taking in the tumble of her curls, the swell of her breasts underneath the silky dressing gown that Cora had a feeling was from Rosamund's stores given the tassels on the ties, the ease with which her fingers came up to brush crumbs away from her lips. She focussed on her lips and the memory of what they had done to her the night before made her warmer than any mere cup of tea could ever make her but after last night she was able to revel in it rather than worry at its power. She reached her own fingers forwards to brush over Sarah's lips too, smiling at Sarah when she caught her eye and stroking over her hair.

"Come with me. When they come to get me I want you to come back to New York with me."

She didn't truly expect a positive response but she didn't expect the look of pain over Sarah's face at the very concept.

"You don't have to come straight away and you don't have to stay," she babbled on, placing her teacup down gently and taking Sarah's hand. "They could be here today and I don't want this to be the last time you're the first person I see in the morning." She finished breathlessly and blinked, trying to keep the tears from forming in her eyes.

Sarah was silent for a moment but didn't let go of her hand which Cora took to be a promising sign and she seemed so frozen in consideration that Cora took a while to realise she had been given a reply.

"No."

Sarah stared at their linked hands and Cora felt the tears begin to roll down her cheek despite her attempts to control herself. She should have known Sarah wouldn't give up her world, it was so much to ask after all but she had hoped that the other woman's feelings might be as strong as hers.

"Would you stay here with me?"

Cora stared at her but Sarah refused to meet her gaze and she ran her thumb over the back of the other woman's hand feeling an utter fool. She had not wanted to ruin this wonderfully promising morning but it was all her own doing and her insistence had prompted Sarah and now things were inevitably going to end up being awkward.

"I can't. You know…" Her voice cracked a little. "You know I-"

"I know you can't. Don't worry, I don't expect you to stop 'ere when you've got all that to go back to."

All the things she had to go back to indeed. Cora thought of them and thought of nothing but her parents and the money but beyond that there was nothing; she'd never really had any friends and now as a widow – and in rather spectacular fashion – was she likely to receive any more offers? She'd probably be condemned to sit with the old maids forevermore and all of this without Sarah?

"I love you."

Sarah's lips were on hers before she could think of explaining herself or lying and taking it back and their breakfast was soon forgotten as Sarah's arms wrapped around her shoulders, awkwardly angling herself around the tray, and kissing her deeply. Sarah pressed her down into the pillows and Cora could feel her smiling around the kiss.

"I love you too darlin'."

A few hours later – after they had moved the tray the morning had passed rather pleasantly – Cora all but skipped down the stairs into the bar, aching from new exertions but pleased that she had been able to respond in kind. Their earlier talk of what would happen next had been forgotten for the time being and Cora took up her position at the piano happily. She had spent much of the previous evening playing sentimental and somewhat maudlin tunes much to Thomas' apparent chagrin but that hadn't prevented the young man from having a brief dance with Rosamund or listening with the slightest hint of a smile when Gwen had begun to sing. Their little act had gone down rather well with the assembled crowd too. They weren't as showy as Mary Carson perhaps but there had certainly been an appreciation for the simple pleasure of the music they played and Cora thought that with some coaching and the right sort of styling – perhaps her Mama could help when she got here? – Gwen might be rather well-known one day.

Cora moved her fingers over the piano in a simple tune, appreciating for the first time how well the instrument fitted her hands. And it definitely felt that way: as though _this_ piano had been waiting here for her all these years with her hands alone in mind and it was another thing she would be sad to leave. All through the morning her list of things she would miss had been growing and every time she did her almost overwhelming desire to accept Sarah's offer pushed its way to the forefront of her thoughts.

They were in love: surely if Sarah were a man then all that would be left was for her to ask Papa's permission to marry her after waiting the respectable amount of time, so why did it have to be so difficult this way? She'd been travelling to the other side of the country for Robert who she _liked_ , facing a new world and a new life and here she had friends and a job of sorts and Sarah who she loved – maybe staying wasn't such a wild notion. When her parents arrived she could tell them she was happy here and they were sure to let her stay, she'd married Robert because it was the right thing to do and now she knew she could survive without their money and protection they must allow her some freedom. She hit a particularly harsh note and decided that they'd have to whether they liked it or not.

New York wasn't going anywhere after all and it wasn't as though she was the only person in this town who would be far from home. She thought of Edith and Hampshire, the man in the post office and the rolling hills of somewhere unnamed, Sarah's stories about Manchester, Gwen and Sybil travelling, Tom from Ireland and Rosamund-

Actually where on earth was Rosamund from?

Cora supposed it wasn't particularly important but she couldn't deny she was curious and it occurred to her that she knew a very easy method of finding out all by herself. She wouldn't have to ask and could spring it into the conversation at the opportune moment, it would be nice for once to know something she shouldn't rather than seeming ignorant all the damned time and if she _was_ going to stay here – and in her head Cora was believing more and more that she just might – then she would have to get used to roaming around Rosamund's house. She'd seen Sarah coming out of the house next door and it felt as though Rosamund was always in the bar so the two women clearly had no issue with living in each other's pockets and if she was going to stay here with Sarah then she thought she should get used to moving as freely as they and Sybil and Gwen and Thomas and everyone else did.

She left the piano and snuck out of the bar, looking quickly down the street to make sure she wasn't being observed before slipping into the doorway she had only one week before gone to a great deal of pains not to enter. There was nobody about as she had expected. Hard workers though they may be the women of Rosamund's establishment were not especially early risers and Cora managed to scurry up the stairs towards what she imagined was Rosamund's room with ease. She glanced around as she moved, checking all the walls for a sign of the expected drawing. If Sarah had drawn Edith's home for her and done it for the man in the stupid _post office_ then Rosamund, who she was closer to than anyone else, simply had to have one!

There was nothing on the staircase and she tentatively began sneaking closer to the doors hoping she wasn't going to get an eyeful again if she looked around the doorframes, most of which were helpfully ajar. Whatever else they were, it seemed the women in Rosamund's house were not too concerned about privacy and what a house it really was! Cora had never seen anything quite like it but it felt as though there was a perpetual pink glow about the entire interior, something achieved with the liberal use of red curtains hanging in the windows. Along the walls, rather than the tell-tale drawing, she instead found herself gazing at various pieces of art – well, she supposed she'd call it art for want of a better word – that was more than a little salacious. Rosamund had aimed for a particular effect and Cora thought she had pulled it off with utter aplomb and she felt herself longing for Sarah's presence.

At the top of the stairs she glanced up and down the long corridor wondering where on earth to go next. The house was entirely quiet but for the occasional shuffle of somebody moving in their sleep and Cora carefully slipped her head around the door of the nearest room only to see Sybil, hair spread out on the pillow and looking for all the world like a child at rest. Leaving her she moved along the row and saw a blonde girl that she'd spoken to once or twice finding her perfectly pleasantly but being rather swayed against her by knowing Sarah didn't like her at all. Sneaking further she finally spotted the door with the most ornate frame and ostentatious swirls carved into the wood, immediately recognising it as being Rosamund's bedroom. Really, who else would have a door with an 'R' carved into it?

She nudged the door further open carefully and it occurred to her for the first time in the last mad ten minutes that she really wasn't this desperate to know whereabouts Rosamund came from but there was no point chickening out now. Sarah had been busy doing something or other in the backroom of the bar and there was no one else around this early in the morning so she had to entertain herself somehow and as she slipped properly into Rosamund's room she breathed a silent sigh of relief that at least the other woman was dressed this time. She was reposing rather spectacularly and had she not known better Cora would have sworn she was doing it on purpose but there was an ease to Rosamund that she knew wasn't something one could learn. It was the same quality her Mama possessed in spades and she had never quite managed to emulate.

Cora's eyes fell on something on the wall and she smiled, nearly giggling with glee. _That_ was definitely one of Sarah's lovely drawings and she tiptoed closer, being careful not to step on any of the underwear or…god knows what, Cora thought it best not to wonder too much, that littered the floor. In front of the wall she cast her eyes over the sketch, spotting trees immediately but little else and she shuffled slightly to get closer and her foot nudged a large wooden chest underneath the picture and Cora cast an immediate look of worry towards Rosamund's sleeping frame but the redhead slept on.

Her eyes moved automatically to her feet to ensure she wasn't treading on anything too noticeable and before she could look back up her attention was caught by something sticking out of the corner of the trunk and, furrowing her brow but unable to stop herself, Cora reached down, the picture quite forgotten, and wrapped her fingers around a patch of protruding material that looked sickeningly familiar. As quietly as she could she reached down and lifted the lid, revealing a dress she never thought she'd lay eyes on again.

It was the cream, chocolate lined one she had been wearing the day before they'd been attacked and this time she was unable to talk herself out of the most obvious reason for the dress to be here. Forgetting to be silent she reached down and rummaged through the trunk, feeling every inch of her insides freeze as one by one she found the things that had been in her trousseau. Her dresses were here, not all of them but enough and her jewellery still contained in the pearly white with gilded trim box that her Mama had put it in. She looked around the room wildly, feeling but not acknowledging the tears that were already beginning to form, and she saw several other chests and trunks around Rosamund's room just like this one. Some were covered with scarves in various gaudy shades but they were all undeniably there and Cora knew that they would contain her belongings, more of her dresses, her underwear, her books, the money she had brought with her and it had been sitting here in Rosamund's bedroom all the time she had been next door, so grateful to her and Sarah for looking after her!

"Cora?"

She looked over and Rosamund and immediately shot to her feet as the other woman began to sit up, unclouding her foggy head and pulling her dressing gown over pale, freckled shoulders.

"Cora, you have to listen-"

"I don't have to do anything."

Cora felt fear shoot through her, the same fear she'd felt when she ran and been sure she was going to die alone in the wilderness either by starvation or a gunshot before she had found Sarah and she was here, entirely reliant upon the landlady and it seemed she had been in league with her attackers all along. She felt as though everything had been pulled out from under her again, as though the normality and feeling of safety she had been clawing back desperately had evaporated before her eyes and she reached down to grab anything at all before running past Rosamund's bed and back through her house. She pounded down the stairs and out of the front door into the bright morning sunshine and for a moment considered carrying on running but the anger overwhelmed her fear and she stalked back into the bar, towards the room she had once cowered in and found Sarah pouring over accounts.

Sarah looked up at her and smiled.

"Where've you been 'iding?"

Cora threw what turned out to be the hat that matched her cream coloured dress down onto the table, fuming and reaching up to swipe at her eyes defiantly.

"Tell me what's going on Sarah. I want to know everything. Now."

Sarah's expression remained still for a moment, it was quite devoid of any smile or any emotion and Cora felt a chill down her spine. She knew Sarah was not a fool to be trifled with but she had never imagined her kind saviour could look so cold and hard but she did and reached into her pocket for a cigarette and all the time Cora wanted nothing more for her to take her hand and tell her there was some mistake or other. She fell into the seat opposite Sarah's and didn't move her gaze away. It took every inch of bravery she still possessed but she met her lover's terrible gaze but she managed to keep her own steady and held her hands tightly in her lap rather than letting then wonder to Sarah as she wished.

"Where did you find this?"

"Rosamund's room."

Sarah's cheek twitched ever so slightly. "What the bloody 'ell were you doing in there?"

"What do you care?"

"Of course I-"

"You don't. You can't. Stop lying… I've heard nothing but lies all morning."

She met Sarah's eyes meaningfully and set her jaw as best she could, trying to control her sorrowful tears and not show the hurt on her face. Sarah's face fell before her eyes and looked down at her feet and Cora's hands fluttered but returned to being still.

"Sarah, tell me the truth."

"Why should I?" Sarah met her gaze with eyes that looked stiff with the effort to control herself. "You'll be leaving soon anyway, you don't need to know if you're not staying."

"I won't even think about staying unless you tell me…Sarah…I don't want to leave at all, but I don't want to go thinking the worst of you. Please don't make me do that."

For a long, silent moment between them Cora wasn't sure what Sarah was going to say but eventually Sarah stubbed out the cigarette that had done nothing but lay idle at her side and licked her lips briefly.

"What do you want to know?"

Cora reached out and picked up the hat, running it idly through her fingers to give them something to occupy themselves with.

"Everything. Who they are, what you and Rosamund and whoever else have to do with it all, and…" she stumbled but persevered. "How decent-seeming people like you can do things like this!"


	15. Chapter 15

"My husband was shot about fifty miles away from Devil's Rock. You might have ran here straight away but I got picked up by a group who claimed they were heading towards the nearest town," Edith Gordon tapped off the cigarette she had accepted off Sarah moments before and looked Cora dead in the eye with the same coldness Sarah had possessed for a moment. "Needless to say they were not being entirely truthful."

Cora's breath caught in her throat but she managed to force down the bile that had come up at the clear implication in Edith's voice. She looked around the assembled room and saw all of them had set jaws and were valiantly not looking at Edith and Cora got the clear impression that this was not a subject that they all generally spoke about. Sarah was still sat in the same seat she'd been in when Cora had entered the room half an hour before, still looking grim and looking at Cora with such sorrow that Cora could barely stand to look back. Rosamund, still in her dressing gown and apparently little else, kept rearranging her long curls clearly with the desire to give herself something to do but she looked withdrawn for the first time Cora had known her and it was not a look she found pleasant. Rosamund wasn't right quiet and insular.

Elsie Carson sat in the far corner of the room calmly sipping a cup of tea as though she were taking minutes of the meeting rather than actively participating. Cora kept her eyes on her as best she could because the steely austereness was much more bearable than the other three.

"And then this group of bandits arrived."

"The same ones that attacked me?"

"More or less. He wasn't too keen but _she_ saved me and brought me here with the usual swag and handed me over to Rosamund."

Rosamund was dragging her nails over the wooden surface of the table she was perched upon now and didn't look up, her hair nearly shielding her face.

"Not that you'd have been any use in my house."

"Or mine," Sarah added, but with a great deal more affection seeping through. "You're much better at drinking the booze than sellin' it."

Edith rolled her eyes and tapped the ash off her cigarette. Elsie sniffed and picked up the thread of the story as though Edith hadn't been interrupted.

"But I thought she might be better suited to the schoolhouse than the whorehouse and we'd recently lost our local teacher." She glanced up at Cora with a wry look. "To natural causes I hasten to add."

Cora was distinctly un-amused and looked around the room sweepingly.

"So you," she addressed Sarah. "Were given this bar by the previous owner because she didn't have an heir and then you took out loans against the bar when she," Cora pointed at Rosamund, "got thrown in jail for her husband's suspicious death and needed bailing out." Both women nodded. "She got out because of the money but you were both bankrupt until you," she turned to Elsie, "suggested the local bandits and one in particular who's what again?"

"My niece."

"So they bring the goods to Sarah's because no one notices deliveries, Rosamund stores it all in the brothel because there are always clothes lying around and between the two of you it all gets sold. You keeps the Mayor looking the other way, Mary's distracting the Sheriff and you," she settled her gaze back on Edith. "Signal the bandits when it's time to collect their cut."

There was silence in the room but Cora felt something distinct settle over them all. It was as though they had ripped off the bandage quickly now, the worst of it should be over and she felt rather like all the air in her body had been expounded trying to get her head around all this new information. It was still early but Cora felt as though she might fall asleep, however, the worst of it was far from over because as she looked from one traitorous face to another she didn't know whether she would ever trust another living soul again. She certainly doubted she could ever love anyone again without waiting for it inevitably to go wrong. One widowing and one betrayal was quite enough for under a fortnight's heartache.

"And all this because none of you had any money…"

"And what would you have done?" Rosamund's eyes shot up to meet her, at long last abandoning her attempts to remain withdrawn and Cora nearly gasped with how harsh her voice was now. Whoever this dark-eyed and sorrowful creature who barely looked at you and spoke this sharply was she was certainly nothing like the Rosamund she'd grown immeasurably fond of. "Apart from this week in which you have been _very_ well looked after when have you ever gone without money?"

"You've never starved properly have you?" Edith's voice cut across and Cora wanted her to shut up. Despite her love for Sarah she found inexplicably it was Edith's story that she couldn't bear – perhaps because it was so close to what her fears had been after the attack. Fear and loneliness and a much longer belief you were going to die in the barren desert until being picked up by – Edith had called them rustlers – but Cora thought they were utter scoundrels. Even her scarfed friend looked more appealing… Bates. She should call him that now really she supposed: Mr Bates and his wife Vera and their band. "Never spent every minute of the day waiting for an injury to go septic or the water to run out or someone else to turn up all the while knowing that today will probably be the day you die."

"I've been scared for my life thanks to your _friends_."

Sarah closed her eyes for a moment and Cora wanted to strike her, wanted to bring her back to the room and not allow her a moment of hiding.

"They don't usually kill."

"Oh? So they made the exception for Robert? I'm sure wherever his body's rotting out there he feels very blessed to have been one of their few victims! And what about me? They chased me and they _were_ going to kill me."

"No they weren't love," the term slipped out and Cora watched as Sarah looked troubled for a moment before pushing on. Love certainly wasn't something she wanted to think about the moment and especially not how they had both said it earlier and meant it; at least she'd thought they had. "Bates never kills women. And Vera doesn't kill anyone if she can help it."

"Perhaps that's just what they tell you?"

Rosamund finally left her seat, swooping over to the window impressively and forcing Edith to jump slightly to get out of her way. Cora's eyes were drawn to her as she stood rather magnificently in the window frame, the general redness of her whole figure shining in the sunlight spilling through as she stared out into the horizon, seeing something Cora clearly couldn't

"She wouldn't lie to me."

It as an odd turn of phrase but Cora thought that the reality behind it was something she definitely didn't need to know, didn't want to know. It sounded too suspiciously like matters of the heart and the last thing she wanted now was to think about them.

"Who else knows?"

"No one," Elsie, finally having finished her tea, seemed the only one capable of speaking at the moment. "Charles knows there's money coming from somewhere but he never does ask."

"Thomas helps with the deliveries and he does know Vera, she's usually the one that comes y'see, but he just thinks she drives a wagon and he never sees the stuff."

"And what about your girls?"

Rosamund sniffed and turned back to Cora, the mention of her girls seemingly having revived something of her spirit.

"I let them buy some of it at knock down price and they know to push it on any man that comes there as a present for his poor, maligned wife, but they're too well looked after to question where anything comes from."

Cora's heart felt another stab. Gwen and Sybil, girls who had looked after her and been so sweet and understanding and had felt like they were friends of the kind she'd never had before, were also involved, if entirely unwittingly, and surely that had to make a difference for them and for Thomas and the Mayor, who had treated her with such care? She looked over to Edith but was pre-empted before she could ask.

"I don't have anyone to keep in the dark of course. Just me and the mirror."

Cora tried not to let Edith's words affect her and met Sarah's eyes instead, trying to fathom out how the woman she had thought could do no wrong was suddenly crumbling before her eyes. All of them had seemed so glorious before, the sort of confident and independent women she could never be but now the shine had most definitely gone off them all. She didn't share a tragedy with Edith, Elsie wasn't as upstanding as Cora had thought, Rosamund's desperation and bitterness was clawing itself to the surface and Sarah… Sarah hadn't saved her, hadn't done anything for her apart from keep her away from the truth and break her heart.

"I think I'd like to be alone for a while."

Sarah nodded minutely and Cora took it as an assurance that she would not be bothered by any of them but she couldn't leave her seat just yet. There was one more thing she needed to know.

"Did you know? When you gave me that first dress?" She addressed Sarah and no one else: it was as though the others had ceased to exist. "Did you know it was mine?"

"I wasn't sure. I thought it looked too fine to be one of Rosamund's but she said Vera had only just brought it and she brought your stuff the night you, Edith and Gwen were getting acquainted with a bottle each."

Cora blushed and certainly didn't appreciate the reminded.

"Was that part of the plan? To get me drunk so I wouldn't notice?"

Rosamund and Edith snorted in the corner and Elsie bristled but Sarah cut across all of them.

"No it wasn't. It wouldn't have made any difference though. We'd already sent a message to Vera not to come here and take it straight to Ros' this time."

"She brought a few things, that dress and some jewellery before though. She tries to get the finer things to us quicker than everything else in case Bates decides he's going to find someone who'll give him a bigger cut."

Ignoring the indignation she felt at her belongings being classified so ruthlessly as to what would take the most money, Cora also thought she might have solved the mystery of who Rosamund had been entertaining the morning she'd seen her through the window. It fitted she supposed and with a rush of annoyance she realised that Thomas had _told_ her this the night she'd arrived when he was speaking to Rosamund.

"… _that mad tart and she only comes here when she's laden with stuff to sell off…"_

Was that not more or less the whole plot and she'd just ignored it, furrowing her brow and wondering how Rosamund could have a _she_ that would miss her that much?

"You need to stop it. All of you, it's not right, surely you can see that?"

The two redheads by the window immediately began to protest but Sarah silenced them with a simple look that Cora was rather pleased she wasn't the recipient of.

"It's part of our livelihood."

"But people are getting hurt!"

Elsie's cool voice spoke up, sounding more reasonably and more terrible for that.

"The only reason your husband got shot was because he tried to be a hero and pulled a gun on them."

Cora felt as though she'd always known this somehow. Like somewhere in the back of her head she had registered that Robert was being terribly foolish and she'd known that must have something to do with his death but this confirmation was more than she'd ever wanted to hear on the subject.

"You're all going to stop. Or I'll tell everyone I meet until something gets done to stop you all and if no one listens to me they _will_ listen to Papa's money," she saw Edith scoff and met her eyes with as much steeliness as she could muster. "You're right, I've never had nothing and believe me it's more than enough to just make us comfortable and I will use it to stop you all unless you agree to stop now."

It occurred to her that it was a bit of a hollow demand. They could easily agree, wait till she was gone and begin again of course and upon realising this Cora caught Sarah's eyes and allowed herself to feel all the things she had desperately trying to suppress. She loved Sarah more than she had ever loved anyone and she needed her to be a better person or else the memory of that love – and she knew with an aching heart that a memory was all it could ever be now – would be forever tainted. She reached for Sarah's hand, wrapping her fingers around the soft skin and feeling tears cloud her vision again.

"Sarah please…"

"We'll stop."

"What?" "Don't be absurd!"

Sarah ignored the protests and squeezed Cora's hand gently before letting her go, standing and looking terribly in control of everything that was going on. She closed her eyes for just a moment and Cora wondered whether she was steeling herself or trying to block Cora's tears out.

"All of us are stopping now, we'll send a message to Vera and Bates to tell them the arrangement is over-"

"You can't be serious darling?" Rosamund stalked forwards, hovering over Sarah and the two women looked as though they might come to blows. "What are we supposed to do without that money?"

"Find a new way of earning it."

Rosamund looked somewhat less than impressed but Sarah's gaze was unwavering and eventually she began to retreat to her place at the window by Edith.

"Sarah," Elsie spoke and Cora wanted to throttle her. The older woman always sounded so reasonable that it was impossible to argue with the things she said. "You do realise that if we do this the town might not last. Without this money there's not a lot else propping it up – you know that my dear."

"We have to stop."

"Fine, you stop if you want to," Edith's voice was sharp and unapologetically callous. "We've already seen that Vera can just take things straight to Rosamund's, we'll just cut you out and everyone will be happy."

Much to Cora's surprise the corner of Sarah's lips quirked ever so slightly and she settled back into the seat, looking resigned and peaceful.

"If any of you carry on I'll turn you in myself. Even if it means I'm for prison too," she turned in her chair, meeting Edith and Rosamund's eyes with determination. "Just you tempt me to do it. 'ow about it Ros? D'you fancy going back?"

Nobody seemed able to speak after Sarah's threat and with care Elsie got to her feet and began to leave the room, meeting Sarah's eye for a moment and nodding slightly before she took her leave. With considerably less grace but the distinct flicker of fear in her eyes Rosamund stomped out of the room, making a racket as she crashed through the bar, bringing down bottle and smashing chairs by the sound of it until eventually the doors slammed and she was gone.

"I'll go after her."

Sarah left her seat and followed Rosamund's path, leaving Cora with Edith and the former immediately shot from her own seat, preparing to leave. The last thing she wanted was to be left alone with Edith at the moment, the anger on her was palpable and Cora knew it was all directed at her.

"If Vera and Bates had been proper bandits they'd have killed him happily and wouldn't have let you go you know?"

"So I should be grateful I was robbed by the rent-a-villains?"

Edith rolled her eyes and helped herself to another cigarette from the case Sarah had left behind.

"Of course not, I'm just pointing out that it could have been considerably worse. They're in it for the money not for the sheer pleasure of causing pain and Vera's one of the best shots in the country. I don't care how far you'd already run Cora, if she'd been evil and wanted to kill you then she could have done."

"I wish she had. At least that would have been an honest thing, rather than all this deception."

"You deserve to have died if you think that," Edith glared at her and struck a match rather threateningly. "If you only knew how lucky you were to find Sarah and no, it wasn't through design, you just got lucky. We're not all that lucky."

"You seem to have survived."

"After losing the love of my life and being passed around a camp for a few days it didn't feel much like surviving but I damn well deserved it." She spoke as matter-of-factly as she had done before and Cora thought she might be sick. "Mostly for never wishing for something as selfish and idiotic as my own death."

She strode across the room and Cora sank away from her, unable to stand her words any more, but Edith surprised her once again and reached out to place a hand on her shoulder. Cora jumped for a second but managed to see that it was supposed to be a comforting gesture.

"I really am sorry about your husband Cora, it's never easy to lose someone like that, but you see, we'd have all died years ago if we hadn't started taking what we could. Goodness knows no one was going to _give_ us anything."

With that Edith left the back room, leaving Cora to her raging thoughts and she dropped back into her seat, completely losing control of her emotions and crying, great racking sobs that made her whole body shake and the worst of it was she only wanted Sarah. She wished she'd never found out, she could have been so happy here with Sarah if she'd never found out about any of this and now all she had to look forward to was a miserable and tedious life in New York. She buried her head in her hands and longed for Sarah to come and hold her and somehow make everything alright again.


	16. Chapter 16

Thomas crept along the lonesome and dusty road he was travelling, not entirely sure where he was going but sure that Sarah wasn't going to be leading him astray...all the same he kept a close hold on his gun. She'd been so good to him in the past it seemed unlikely that she would have sent him off with a message on horseback to meet his doom but he couldn't deny the night-time noises were a little unnerving. It was bad enough when one was in the town and curled up in their own bed but out here in the wilderness anything could happen and he felt a shiver go through him. In the distance he could just about make out the glow of a light and he supposed that must be his destination.

Sarah's hadn't said much. Just handed him the reins of a horse, a sealed envelope and told him which direction to do go in and god help him he was so grateful to her for taking him in when no one else would and never passing judgement upon anything he did that he'd done as he was told immediately. And so he found himself heading towards where he'd been told Vera lived and he was hoping that the Irishwoman would make an appearance soon. She was far from the most comforting of people but he knew that she inspired fear in everyone else and he had a feeling he'd be safer with her than with anyone else at the moment. The light in front of him flickered and he identified it as a fire, it had to be, nothing else made that kind of movement.

As he came closer Thomas began to hear a rabble and for a moment he considered turning around and heading back into town - Sarah would never need to know after all - but instead he continued on, heading towards the light with trepidation. A gunshot rang out and the horse jumped, nearly throwing Thomas from her back but he managed to cling on as best he could and calm her. Distracted for a moment he didn't notice the approaching figure and he nearly joined his horse in her wailing when a hand grabbed his leg.

"What the bleedin' 'ell do you think you're doing this far out you daft sod!"

His eyes adjusted to the darkness and made out the outline of a woman with long hair and a scowl, holding a still smoking gun in one hand and reaching down to stroke his horse gently until she was calm with the other. Even if he hadn't recognised her he would have known who it was from the sheer annoyance that seemed to be radiating from here.

"Nice to see you an' all Vera."

Vera Bates took the horses reins from his hands and began to lead them all towards the camp where Thomas could now see the fire burning brightly amidst the assembled group of motley looking individuals. When Vera was in the town and visiting she looked a great deal dodgier than the genteel folks around her but here, blimey _here_ she was the cleanest and smartest of the lot of them! Why the bloody hell did she live in a hovel with this lot when Rosamund would probably bloody love it if she moved into the brothel permanently?

"Look, I'm not stoppin'," he looked around the camp with revulsion, putting two and two together at long last and beginning to fathom out what the set-up really was. It had seemed odd that Vera was sent cross country with a wagon of booze even if she was a rather formidable woman. "Sarah sent me with this…" He handed over the letter before they ended up too immersed amongst the crowds.

Vera took it from him graciously and didn't make a fuss when he turned the horse around to leave: she understood, of course she did: no one would really want to stay here for very long if they weren't obliged to. The horse and its rider sped off back the way they had come and Vera looked after them for a moment, almost wishing she could have climbed on the back and gone with him. Her own horse was with John's and if she tried to take it now it would definitely be noticed and god only knew what sort of mood he'd be in when he found out Sarah had sent her bartender to bring him a message.

She opened the envelope carefully, pulling out a hastily written note and cast her eyes over it. In the darkness she thought they must be deceiving her but no, when she read the note a few more times the message was very clear. The arrangement was over and if they came to the town again the law would be waiting for them.

Vera moved silently back towards the group, looking amongst them for John's figure and spotting him engaged in a rather heated discussion with someone.

"John."

For a second she considered not telling him, it was only going to make him angry after all and with this amount of drink in him things wouldn't end well for them or for the tow, but he would have to be told sooner or later and he was usually in this state these days.

"John!"

He turned to her this time, bottle in hand and she felt a swell of disgust for him and for herself as she came closer and sat next to him by the fire. She handed him the note and watched as he tried to focus his gaze upon the words until she sighed and snatched it back.

"It's off Sarah to say the arrangements over. They all want it over and done with."

"So we're not good enough for the ladies anymore?"

She rolled her eyes. "I don't know. Thomas dropped it off-"

"Thomas!"

"The barman."

"I bloody well know who Thomas is. She sent that boy rather than face us herself?"

"It was probably quicker. She'd got a visitor at the moment anyway."

She didn't elaborate. She hadn't told John that the woman who had escaped from them on the trail – or rather the woman Vera had conveniently missed and then chased after very slowly – was currently living in Sarah's guest room and neither had she told him what Rosamund had said about Sarah going soft over the daft girl. The last thing they needed was for him to barge into town with it in mind to get rid of someone who might be able to identify him to the authorities when she got back to New York. Much to Vera's annoyance, and the reason they were so far west as it was when they had originally come to the new world as a young couple with the stars in mind, they had something of a reputation in the east.

"So she's feeding the face of someone with money we made for her and now she wants to cut out the nasty side of the business…"

Vera read the note again. It was hasty and off the cuff and didn't look at all like it was something Sarah had given a great deal of thought and she wondered what on earth could have prompted the landlady to write this. It seemed a little out of the blue after all. They'd been doing better than ever when it came to selling off loot and they'd all been getting on as well as ever lately, due largely to the fact that John had long since stopped coming to the town with her and therefore Vera was allowed a few days of drinking Sarah's lovely produce and sleeping in Rosamund's soft bed before she came back to the camp.

"Maybe it's a trick? There're other groups in the area, you don't think she'd getting something set up with them for a smaller cut?"

Vera rolled her eyes again at the likelihood of this, whatever else Sarah was she wasn't likely to just betray them for the sake of making a few extra dollars; the cut had always suited all of them down to the ground. But she detected the hint of desperation in John's voice and though she had once found his cautious nature a good thing it reviled her now. His lack of trust in anyone, even her, was evident and she hated living like that. Rosamund – not that Vera exactly held her up as the greatest possible mate in the world – had never once questioned her and always been waiting with a smirk, a bottle of something pilfered from Sarah and open arms.

"I don't think so. By the sound of this none of them want the risk anymore."

"What risk? They think they're risking anything sat in that town? We're the ones sitting out here and risking our lives every day. We're the ones shooting people and collecting the bloody stuff that keeps them in food and whiskey."

Around him people were beginning to listen and it seemed to Vera that it only took moments for the truth, or some version of it, to spread around the assembled group. Sarah was double-crossing them, Rosamund had sourced out some other supplier from one of her clients that would give them all their wares for just one night in her house. Edith's husband suddenly wasn't dead and her time with them had been part of an elaborate plot to gain inside information before she went to the other woman in the town.

"At first light we're saddling up and heading into the town."

There was a roar and Vera felt her stomach heave as she left John's side and slipped away from the group.

"We'll take back everything they owe us."

She leant over and was heartily sick at the very thought.

"All the things they have are ours."

The noise carried on but Vera blocked out the individual voices, John's especially, and moved further away until she was back where she had first met Thomas. She stared into the still darkness that he had vanished into earlier and felt a pang of something she couldn't identify. That handsome young man might be dead by the time the sun rose if Bates got his way and they went to the town tonight to enact this foolish revenge on the women they had done such good business with for so long now. The girl she had let get away, hoping desperately she would be alright, might get caught in the crossfire, Auntie Elsie would be at the top of John's list, along with Sarah and Rosamund.

Without bothering to risk saddling her horse, without even looking back, Vera started walking into the night, sure that no one would see her leave and Bates certainly wouldn't miss her for a few hours and by then it would be too late. She was going to warn them.

She picked up her pace, sometimes she ran – the night-air made it much less of a chore than it would be during the midday sun – and soon the lights of the town came into view. She thought of the people she had left and what they would do to this innocent little place given half the chance and she tried to believe she was doing it for the sake of her own conscience, or even for Rosamund god help her for even thinking it, but Vera knew she was scared. She was more scared of what the morning would bring than she had been in her entire life and she stumbled over an abandoned shoe on the ground but regained her footing and ran towards the comforting lights of the town for all that she was worth.

Her husband would be there by dawn.


	17. Chapter 17

Cora had been sitting in the same place for hours now waiting for whichever of the options she desired came first. She glanced at the clock again and noticed that it was now ten past four rather than being on the hour as it had been the last time she checked but neither Sarah or her parents had made an appearance yet and she was determined to wait for them. But Sarah still hadn't returned from Rosamund's house and her parents weren't likely to come at this time of night.

Perhaps if she waited long enough then Sarah would just appear? She wanted to see the other woman before she left – it seemed she had made herself scarce and Cora was terrified that she would do so until Cora's parents arrived – and to tell her…tell her what? Her instinct was the say sorry but she had done nothing wrong! Sarah and the others were the wrongdoers and they should give up their caper without Cora having to threaten them with the law. They were decent people and maybe once they started to live honestly again they'd remember that?

Cora doubted it and couldn't help but think she'd taken everything far too personally but even if she could think rationally about the situation she still felt hurt. Sarah hadn't told her the truth but then…how could Sarah have told her before? When she'd first burst into Sarah's bar swathed with terror would it have been the moment to tell her that she was in league with them? Cora reached up her hands to rest her head in them. She didn't know what to think anymore. All these people that she had known and grown to rely on had been pulling the wool over her eyes and she wanted so much to be able to trust them again but how could she now?

Behind her she heard the sound of someone in the bar and kept herself as still as she could. If this was Sarah then she didn't want to make it desperately obvious that she had been waiting for her but she'd be able to see it wouldn't she? Why would she be sat here if not? Footsteps came closer to the backroom and she tensed only to see Thomas appearing out the corner of her eye with her eyebrows raised and the ghost of a smirk on his lips. He was rubbing together his hands and flexing them as though to rid them of cramp and dust covered the bottom half of his trousers - where on earth had he been?

"Where is she then?"

Cora tried to look nonchalant, as though she had been asleep in the chair perhaps but she knew she wouldn't fool Thomas. He'd seen the way she was looking at Sarah long before she'd even begun to admit it to herself so there was no chance of fooling him.

"I don't know. She went to Rosamund's about twelve hours ago..."

Thomas furrowed his brow and looked at her as though she was quite mad.

"You've been sat there for _twelve hours_?"

"Of course not. I've been around here though, I think I might have fallen asleep for a while..."

Truthfully she had fallen asleep with emotional exhaustion around midday and slept for a long time, waking late enough to find that Sarah had not opened the bar for the night and she was still nowhere to be seen. Thomas had seen Sarah briefly when he turned up for work and was met at the front of the building by the lady herself and given the note to take but otherwise this end of the town had been unusually quiet this night. Rosamund had not opened tonight either - for the first time in as long as she and Sarah had owned the two buildings at the far end of the main strip - and Thomas had a feeling that the odd behaviour certainly had something to do with Cora.

"Still a long time to sit waiting."

"Who says I'm waiting for her?"

"I didn't say _her_ ," he struck a match and lit a cigarette with a smug smirk. "I thought you were waitin' for your parents."

Cora bit her lip and considered trying to cover her gaff but really there seemed to be no point with Thomas anymore. He knew altogether more than was good for him. She rolled her eyes at his satisfaction and leaned back in her seat, huffing slightly and fiddling with her fingers.

"I doubt she'd going to reappear now. I'm going to wait just in case though, you should go to bed, it's late."

Thomas shrugged and slid into the seat opposite her.

"Since when were you my Mother? Don't worry," he drew heavily on his cigarette and looked at her with a knowing smirk. "If she does turn up I'll clear out and give you some privacy."

Cora couldn't help herself and as much as she wanted to giggle at that and tell him to be cheeky as she might have done if he'd found her like this in an ideal world where she hadn't needed to know where Rosamund came from, she couldn't help the tears that started spilling down her cheeks uncontrollably. Thomas, much to his credit, didn't run away as he quite clearly wanted to but he wasn't much use in comforting her, just sitting there and letter her sob for a while before he managed to do or say anything.

"I know there's somethin' up but it can't be that bad can it? Not if Sarah loves you an' all that."

The tears came anew at that. Thomas thought Sarah loved her and the more Cora said the words to herself the more she believed them herself. Sarah hadn't lied to her this morning and no matter what else she might have thought of the women of this town she knew she loved Sarah still and she had to stay here until she could tell her. Sarah had looked so defeated earlier and Cora would have given anything to hold her in her arms and now she would wait as long as it took until she could again.

"Ay, come on, it'll be alright," Thomas scooted to the end of his seat and reached out an awkward hand to pay her knee. "I've never seen 'er like this with anyone else before so I'm sure wherever she's off moping about whatever argument you've had she'll be back soon with 'er tail between 'er legs."

"I found out about the bandits."

He frowned. "The ones that got you?"

"Yes."

"Who live over the other side of the ridge?"

"I assume so."

"The ones she 'ad me take a note to earlier?"

"She did that?"

"Yeah, Vera looked a bit put out… What did she do?"

Cora sighed and reached up to swipe at the still falling tears although at least now they were a bit more manageable.

"She ended the arrangement."

"Because she loves you?"

She knew it was true of course, there could be no other reason after all and the women could so easily carry on with their set-up and yet Sarah was doing it because she had asked for it and no other reason. She knew Sarah would do anything she asked of her and the thought made her want to stay, want to forgive her for the initial lie and at least part on good terms. If her parents arrived tomorrow morning and whisked her away then she might never see Sarah again and to think they would have parted on such sorrowful and despondent terms was intolerable.

"I think she might."

"And do you?"

"Yes."

"Then you're both as daft as each other," he rolled his eyes and stubbed out his cigarette. "You stop here and I'll go an' fetch her. Don't bloody move. And when she gets 'ere for god's sake tell 'er and save us all the aggro."

Thomas left his seat and pressed his hand to her shoulder as he left the room, muttering as he walked on, leaving Cora to contemplate what on earth she would say when she actually did see Sarah. How were they supposed to go on from this? Would it be wildly inappropriate to just throw herself into Sarah's arms and cling to her?

Cora waited for another half an hour before she grew impatient and began to wonder where Thomas had gotten to and why it was proving so difficult to find Sarah. She heard a noise in the bar and froze, assuming for a moment that it was Thomas or Sarah and still not sure what she was going to say but after a few more moments passed she realised that one of them would have come into the back by now. It must be someone else.

Carefully Cora poked her head around the doorframe, ensuring she was as silent as possible and scanned the room to look for intruders. There. In the darkest corner a woman was sat helping herself to the bourbon and looking rather worse for wear, twice as dusty as Thomas had been and with exaggerated dark circles under her eyes. She was leaning over her glass as though she intended to inhale the liquor and Cora immediately shuffled her head back around the door to avoid being seen by the sharp grey eyes.

Perhaps the bar was being burgled? Cora hadn't thought there was anybody in the town that would dare steal from Sarah but she might be from elsewhere and not know how formidable the landlady was or how many people were willing to defend the bar with whatever it took. True it looked like the stealing was mostly consisting of one of the bottles Cora could now identify as a middling brand but it was the principle of the thing surely? This woman was a thief!

But what on earth was _she_ supposed to do?

Had she been Thomas or Sarah or even Rosamund she'd be confident enough in her ability to intimidate that she'd simply enter the bar looking scathing and scary and the thief would run away but she could hardly do that now could she? She wasn't remotely terrifying, even for people who didn't know that she'd sooner run away than confront anything in the world. But there had to be something! She wasn't entirely useless after all and if she had learnt anything this week it was that she could do _some_ things for herself!

Looking wildly around the room her eyes eventually settled on something that might be helpful and she picked the carriage clock from the mantelpiece, feeling the weight of it and being satisfied that it would work as a weapon. Slowly she glanced back around the doorframe and waited for the woman to move along the bar where she would be unable to see Cora's approach. Carefully she snuck into the main bar, glad that the thinness of her shoes allowed her to pad across the floor silently until she was nearly behind the mysterious woman.

For a moment she wasn't sure whether she could actually do it but her feet, rather uncharacteristically helpful up till now, trod on a beam that emitted a loud squeak and the woman began to turn and Cora instinctively lifted her weapon and brought it down on the woman's head.

"Jesus fucking _Christ_ that hurt!"

Cora dropped the clock immediately, not expecting to have to deal with this and stood rather awkwardly next to the woman as she grasped the bar top for support and gingerly touched her head.

"What the bloody hell's the matter with you?"

"I...I thought you were robbing us."

"Well I'm bloody well not alright!"

"Alright," if she wasn't robbing them then Cora didn't fully understand why she was here but the woman looked as though she wouldn't take the question well at this point. "But you _were_ taking the whiskey."

The dark-haired woman staggered across the floor for a few steps and swayed so worryingly that Cora reached out to steady her.

"Careful."

"Let go of me!"

The woman wrenched her arm free and nearly toppled in the other direction but Cora defied her and caught her again and this time she wasn't pushed away. Together they walked towards the booth and Cora settled her there.

"I'm sorry. I didn't think about how much I might hurt you."

"You didn't hurt me," the woman snorted and sipped from the bottle she was still holding. "I've been drinking this since I got here so I'm not at my best…"

Cora looked at the bottle, over half of which was already gone and she was sure the other woman had only been here for ten minutes or so. Was that even humanly possible?

"I'm-"

"Cora. I know. Rosamund told me all about you."

"You're Vera," Cora wasn't usually one for making terribly accurate guesses but who on earth else could it be? And there was an air of danger about this woman that definitely meant she had been up to no good at some point in her life – it was a feature of Sarah's personality that she had not noticed at all. She didn't know what she was supposed to say to this woman though: perhaps, thank you for not shooting me?

"I missed you on purpose…and I'm sorry."

"Thank you."

They were both silent for a minute in which Vera swung the bottle up again and Cora leant forwards to very gently check any injury that might be apparent under Vera's dark hair. The woman hissed slightly when Cora found the lump but didn't pull away.

"There's no blood, I think you'll be alright."

"I think I'm goin' to pass out."

Cora slipped into the booth beside her and reached up to press a hand to her cheek. She wasn't especially cold but Cora was still rather concerned that she might accidentally have caused some permanent damage.

"Should I send for a Doctor?"

"Around here?" Vera laughed hollowly. "You do that and he'll send straight for the law. I'll be alright, you're hardly a Sampson. Besides we've got more important things to worry about."

"Like what? The spirit levels?"

Vera laughed properly this time and Cora smiled too despite herself. She moved her hand away from Vera's head and placed it on her arm, carefully pressing her back against the wall so she could rest. Cora was astounded to realise she didn't hate Vera nearly as much as she had imagined she would but the woman still didn't make her entirely comfortable and she shuffled away.

"What do we need to worry about?"

"He's coming. My husband John and our band are all coming at first light to ...I don't know what exactly."

"You weren't listening?"

"I ran off, ran here." She laughed again, closing her eyes and beginning to sound a bit faded. "Like you did I s'pose."

"Why?"

"I hate him."

"No, not that! Why are they coming here?"

"To punish the others for ending the arrangement. My husband'd never admit it but it used to bring us a lot of money and he'll want revenge for that."

"Sarah?"

"Especially Sarah. It was her that wrote the note after all. He's not mad about Ros either."

Cora rolled her eyes briefly. "I can't imagine why."

Vera's free hand swatted at her inelegantly and Cora caught it mid-air, examining the ring on her left hand finger, suddenly rather paranoid that she might find it had once been part of her jewellery collection. Thankfully it wasn't but Vera followed her gaze and pulled her hand away idly, beginning to shuffle the ring off with her other fingers.

"I came to warn them. I don't think I can bleedin' stand thanks to you so you'll have to go and do it."

Vera's eyes fluttered shut again and Cora felt the panic in her stomach spike up to her heart. She needed to find Sarah now but she was reluctant to leave Vera alone with a head injury and a bottle of whiskey. But she had to find the others and warn them before things went from bad to worse and she had a feeling that Vera might shoot and not miss if she wasted the opportunity to raise the alarm before the bandits arrived.

"Will you be okay?" Cora slid from her seat, still crouching slightly to make sure the other woman wasn't going to die on the spot or anything.

"I'll live, I've 'ad worse." Her head slumped further and the bottle rested on the table. "Get going girl."

Cora ran across the bar and burst through the doors onto a deserted street. At the very least she should be able to find Thomas surely? She looked around desperately for a moment, not at all sure where to start when she saw something on the horizon than nearly made her fall to the ground and sob. There was the faintest hint of light beginning to appear in the distance and she spun around and pounded on Rosamund's close by front door.

"Hello? Rosamund! Sarah! Sarah!"

There was no reaction except for the wild sound of the wilderness at night until the gaslight in Rosamund's room grew lighter and the window was thrown open, revealing the woman herself in her dressing gown. She didn't look as though she'd been sleeping and Cora's heart jumped into her throat when Sarah, still wearing the clothes she had been earlier, appeared next to the redhead moments later.

"Cora? What's wrong?"

"Let me in! It's an emergency!"

"Darling, my door's never locked," Rosamund raised her eyebrow and her gaze became accusatory. "Although perhaps I should consider it?"

Sarah ignored her friends lingering mood though and saw nothing but the fear in Cora's face. She shoved Rosamund aside and disappeared back into the room and Cora took the hint and pushed the door open, running up the stairs and meeting Sarah halfway. She threw her arms around Sarah instinctively before babbling out her information.

"The bandits are coming. They're not happy with you all and they're coming here at first light to get revenge."

Sarah's mouth hung open and her eyes filled with disbelief before she saw the truth of it in Cora's fearful expression. Reaching down to grab her hand Sarah pulled her up the rest of the stairs and straight into Rosamund's bedroom where even she seemed to be grasping the seriousness of the situation.

"What's-"

"Bates an' his merry men are on their way."

"Vera?" The fear in her voice was palpable and Cora felt a stab of shame at the injury she had caused. Whether it had been hard or not Vera was lying unconscious next door and they didn't have the time to go and tend to her.

"God knows," Sarah cut across before Cora could speak and looked out of the window.

"She's-"

"Jesus! Look."

They crowded around the window and looked in the distance where the very clear outline of a group of people on horseback was becoming more and more visible.

"They're nearly here."


	18. Chapter 18

Cora had her task and she was determined to manage it before time ran out. She ran down the street as fast as her legs could carry her towards where Edith lived at the back of the schoolhouse trying to think about the moment and what they needed to do rather than the fact that she had failed to tell them where Vera was. She couldn't explain her decision but she was sure that someone would spot her eventually and if not she was probably safe – it wasn't like she'd be much use anyway.

She reached the schoolhouse, hoping that Thomas had been as quick in his task of rousing the Carson's, and began to bang on the door with insistence, shouting Edith's name and being as noisy as she could. She rattled the windows as she checked whether there was any sign of Edith and when there was none she ran around to the back of the schoolhouse in desperation to get closer to where Edith was sleeping. She picked up the axe that was used for firewood and wondered for a moment whether it was a mad idea before she swung it with all the force she could at the mirror.

It cracked the first time and she kept hitting it, watching it splinter and shatter and still she kept hitting it till it was in pieces all over the floor and there was a light emerging from the backroom. She followed the silhouette round to the front of the house, dropping the axe as she went and waited impatiently for a groggy Edith to appear in the door.

"What time-?"

Cora pushed past her into the room and immediately cut across her feeling filled with authority for the first time in her life.

"The bandits are coming. Sarah said you should arm yourself and get out of this house before they get to you."

To her credit Edith immediately sprang into action and ran into the backrooms that served as her living area with Cora following behind. She reached into her bedside cabinet and pulled out a well-kept gun.

"Vera gave me this when I was with them. I've always wanted to shoot it at one of them."

Cora tried not to stare at the weapon as she had when Rosamund had pulled a rather impressive looking shotgun out of one of her many trunks but she was distinctly torn: she hated the thought of so much as touching something so destructive that had killed her husband but at the same time she didn't want to be the only one left undefended and have to rely on someone else again.

Edith stepped into a pair of boots and threw on her dressing gown and they were soon back on the street to find the short time that had elapsed seemed to have made a difference. They could hear smashing and screaming at the other end of the street now, even if they could see it and Cora glanced back and saw a red glow that had nothing to do with the sunrise begin to spread across the sky.

"Is that…" Edith sounded as though she didn't want to believe it and wrapped her fingers around the gun with more determination as they began to run back. "Is that fire do you think?"

"I don't know." Cora clung onto her skirts as they ran towards the chaos, hitching them up so she could run with greater ease and being rather silently impressed that she was able to keep up with Edith's formidable pace. "I hope not."

She could deny that the smell of smoke was definitely beginning to assault her nostrils though – perhaps it was just her imagination? – and the glow was getting closer and brighter. Her breath caught in her throat and she felt as though her lungs were beginning to burn with the exertion but they had to keep going. There was no denying it was fire now and Cora cried out in pained disbelief when she saw where it was coming from.

A bandit threw another blazing torch through the window of Sarah's bar and it must have hit its target because there was an almighty blast and the whole building seemed to shake. The smell of smoke and bring wood and whiskey filled the air and Cora screamed at the suddenness: everything was happening so fast! She looked around wildly for Sarah or Rosamund or _anyone_ so she could stop the horrible sickness in her stomach over their possible fates.

Edith ran off to her right, towards god only knew where and Cora was torn between following her and staying here. Right meant they might find someone. Staying here with the burning remains of her sanctuary meant she might be able to save Vera…if she wasn't dead already. Cora's looked around wildly, screaming for help and trying to look through the falling debris of the window to see Vera. Cora didn't think she could live with herself if Vera didn't live and she screamed through her tears for help, feeling the fire heat her cheeks and dry her tears as soon as they fell.

There was nobody coming. Wherever they all were they weren't coming to help her and she was going to have to save Vera on her own. She edged closer to the door, trying to see through the blaze into the bar but every time she got closer the flames seemed to leap higher and her eyes burnt with the effort to keep them open and look for the bandit.

There!

Vera was still in the booth! She'd slumped and was lying down but Cora could see her chest moving up and down and her body twitching as it still tried to move away from flames instinctively, even in her semi-conscious state.

"Vera! Can you hear me?"

Cora screamed her name again and again but it didn't seem to rouse the woman and an idea struck her before she could consider whether it was mad. Her instincts had worked earlier with the axe and as she darted quickly away from the bar into Rosamund's house, grabbing the first coat off the hook that she could see and running back to the door without thinking of how little protection it would really afford her.

"Vera! Please wake up!"

She threw it over her head and took a deep breath, preparing to run in when she heard another voice cut across her, making her jump in surprise despite the bravery she had shown with her own life.

"Vera's in there?"

Cora turned to the new figure with a thankful smile, her heart leaping with the first bit of luck she'd had all night until her eyes fell upon a coat and a red scarf that made her scream.

"Excellent. Let the bitch burn… and you can come with me girlie."

And so it was that from being safe and loved to feeling outraged and betrayed Cora found it didn't matter anyway because she was running from the man in the red scarf. Again. Except this time she had a glimpse of his face and it did nothing to allay her fears – a mere man he may well have been but he had a gun, had shot her husband and, together with the woman who was in such danger inside, orchestrated the single most terrifying experience of her life. Until now and this time she knew he alone was the cause and she needed to get away from him before her heart ponded out of her chest with fear.

She looked over her shoulder and saw him getting closer and there was nothing she could do. He'd seemed slow to begin with but she'd stumbled twice to guffaws of laughter from the terrible man who had done these things; where on earth was Sarah? Or for that matter anyone else – surely someone must have heard her screams by now?

Behind her she felt him getting closer than ever: his hand brushed her shoulder and she cried out only to hear two bodies behind her crumple to the floor. She spun around and found Rosamund rolling off the bandit with a cackle of glee that belied the seriousness of the situation and Cora couldn't help grinning along with her in elation at being saved.

Cora couldn't deny the redhead's matchless timing – and somehow she was _still_ wearing her dressing gown – and Rosamund grinned up at her looking wilder than ever before, her hair askew, her gown falling from her shoulders and her stockings torn from other fights that evening. She looked to Cora like she was someone dangerous and not to be taken lightly. She jumped to her feet, pulling a small pistol from her stocking top as she did and shoved it unceremoniously into Cora's hand with a wink.

"I think you'll need this more than I will darling."

With a wild smile she grabbed Cora's other hand and pulled her away, looking back once to see whether Bates had recovered yet. It was a mistake Cora knew later that neither of them could have foreseen and they had not considered in the midst of the foolish smiling she'd been doing to be firmly back in Rosamund's _darling_ book.

Rosamund wasn't especially heavy and whilst the tackle had taken him off his feet it had far from disabled him and his arm was still in perfect working order as they discovered when he levelled his gun and fired blankly at Rosamund before either of them could react.

Cora felt as though everything as moving in slow motion for a moment and her own gun fell out of her hands as she reached out to catch Rosamund's falling body. Bates ran away to re-enter the main fray wherever it was, having done the damage he intended to one of the women who'd betrayed him, and Cora could think of nothing but the fact she couldn't see any blood. There _must_ be blood, there had been a gun and a bullet and Rosamund had fallen and didn't seem altogether with it anymore so there had to be blood but Cora couldn't see it because her eyes were too clouded with tears and they were focussed on Rosamund's rapidly paling face rather than the small stream of blood that was clearly pooling from underneath her skirt, sliding down the road as though it would stop when it reached someone else's boots. Rosamund's mouth fell open in surprise and she slumped further into Cora's arms, moaning at the pain…but where in god's name was it coming from?

"Oh god no…"

Cora looked about her wildly, desperately trying to see someone that might be able to help but it was dark but there was still nobody and she couldn't just lie here with Rosamund bleeding and Vera burning but what could she do? They were on the floor now as she'd been unable to hold up Rosamund's weight with her own trembling arms, the blood seeping into her knees and Cora at long last spotted that the gun had not entered Rosamund's chest or stomach as she had feared but instead it was her leg.

A leg was good though wasn't it? A leg was survivable surely and if she could stop the bleeding somehow-

"Help! Somebody! Help us!"

Cora looked around and found nothing but the blazing building and the darkness.

Rosamund had gone still, perking up only for a second when Cora had pushed her skirt up to inspect the wound, before slumping back down to the ground, making intermittent moans that at least told Cora she was alive. It was difficult to focus on that one wonderful fact when everything else seemed so desperate though – she had no way of knowing whether Vera was alive or burnt to a crisp by now and there still didn't seem to be anyone coming. And Sarah… she didn't know where Sarah was or whether she was safe and Cora felt the smoke beginning to surround them, making her eyes sting with that and her tears.

She couldn't see anything as the blackness grew thicker although… was that a scream?... She felt dizzy, more than a little do and her head fell forwards onto Rosamund's shoulder with a small smile at how pleased the redhead would be with her position at the moment. Cora thought she heard another scream and a scuffle of footsteps but she must be imagining things now surely-

"Cora!"

Thomas appeared out of the dark nothingness and Cora felt different kinds of tears begin to fall. He bent down immediately and slid his hands underneath Rosamund's prone frame, shaking her as he did.

"Oi! Wake up you daft tart!" He met Cora's streaming eyes. "Come on."

With extreme effort Cora placed her hands on the ground and agonisingly pushed herself to her feet, following Thomas towards the cleaner air and feeling her shoes squelch in the blood on the ground. Her lungs burned as she moved out of the smoke with Thomas and took deep breaths of cold, crisp air, almost bent double as she emptied the dark smoke from her chest. Rosamund coughed in Thomas' arms and Cora ran to his side as he laid her gently onto the ground again, away from the smoke and the fire and the growing noise.

"Rosamund? Are you still with us?"

Blue eyes flickered open and Rosamund's lips formed into a smirk.

"Can't get rid of me that easily."

Cora reached for her hand and looked up at Thomas with desperation swimming in her newly clear eyes.

"Vera's still in there," she tried to keep her voice low so she didn't distress Rosamund but she was forced to repeat herself over the din and Rosamund's eyes shot open immediately.

"What?"

Thomas had a look of comical surprise before his mouth fell open and he glanced back and forth between Rosamund's newfound alertness and the burning building before muttering a quick "Bugger it," and running back towards the flames. Cora screamed after him but had to throw her weight on top of Rosamund.

"Let me go!"

"You need to keep still, you've stopped bleeding but you can't walk."

"But Vera-"

"Thomas is bigger and stronger and doesn't have a bullet in his leg."

Rosamund continued to wriggle but her pain seemed to be winning out and she stayed put as they both tried to breathe normally. Cora felt light-headed and dizzy and her throat was so dry she didn't know if she would be able to speak but she clung to Rosamund's hand and tried to soothe her as best she could.

Together they waited and Cora tried not to think about how she would feel if Thomas didn't return with the other woman in tow.

 


	19. Chapter 19

Thomas reached into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief to wrap around his nose and mouth as he ran into the smoke once more. It felt like the most pointless thing in the world but he supposed it wouldn't exactly _hurt_ at this point - a bit less smoke in the lungs might be the difference after all.

The smoke went immediately to his eyes but he fought against it as he reached the doorframe of what had once been Sarah's bar and tried to focus them to scan the room. There! She was in the booth, the flames licking ever closer, so close in fact they were practically on top of her. He looked up to see how secure the timber was – not too bad actually – and carefully maneuverer himself over the threshold and tried to step where the fire wasn't. The last thing he needed was to get his bleedin' leg burnt off!

In the corner of the room he saw the bar itself, still standing and still filled with enough alcohol that it would probably kill them both outright when the flames reached them. He sprang into action, his sense of self-preservation kicking in but he felt a surge of bravery with it and pushed forwards towards Vera. One side of the booth was steadily getting more alight and was already beginning to lick up her skirt and sleeve. He batted at it wildly, feeling the heat against his hands and squinting against the pain before he gave up and instead reached out to pull her upright and out of the booth.

Vera was a dead weight and with a cry he managed to lift her up and over his shoulder, feeling a burst of adrenaline that gave him the strength to run back through the fire towards the door. Moments before he reached it one of the swinging doors fell to the ground and he jumped back. It wasn't too bad but it did creating something else ablaze for him to step over suddenly thinking irrationally of how these boots would never be clean again.

He ran through the smoke, towards the air as quickly as he could manage, not at all sure whether the woman in his arms was ever alive. Eventually he began to make out Cora's outline and was rather impressed with himself that he had managed to find the same place twice: with a small smile he continued towards Cora and a near-frantic Rosamund.

"Is she alright?"

Thomas tried to angle her in his arms as he kept moving but he found it was to his peril. He missed his footing and tumbled forwards landing on top of Vera with a shriek.

"Get off John…"

Underneath him he felt her move for the first time and he looked up at Cora, eyebrow raised.

"It's not John. It's Thomas."

"And Cora. Still."

"And me darling," Rosamund dragged herself towards them with what appeared to be a tremendous effort but Cora had grown tired of trying to keep her still. She was still lying down at least and had taken off her dressing gown to wrap around the wound, revealing that she was at least wearing a corset and underwear. As she drew reached Vera she reached out to brush hair from her face and Rosamund's wet eyes darted towards her injuries.

"You'll be alright. You're safe now my darling."

Thomas' eyebrows went high at that and despite the seriousness of the situation Cora couldn't help but share his mirth. Never, to the best of her knowledge, had she heard Rosamund speak of any emotion and they both looked away from the two women awkwardly. Thomas coughed to clear his throat and reached out to take Cora's hand.

"Come on, we need to find Sarah."

She allowed herself to be pulled to her feet but was still reluctant.

"What about them?"

Rosamund looked up, still stroking Vera's cheek and reaching for the gun Cora had shoved into her boot for safe-keeping, being reasonably sure at the time she would accidentally shoot her foot off.

"Go, we'll be alright here. No one can see us."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive…and if we run out of bullet I can even dig the spare one out of my leg."

Vera's eyes opened sporadically and she moved - Cora was pleased to see she was back with them somewhat, if not entirely awake yet. On the other hand she wasn't sure whether that was the smoke, the blow to the head or the drink.

"You were shot?"

"In the leg. By your lovely husband."

Improbably Vera grinned.

"Trust you to throw your legs in the air at the right moment."

Rolling his eyes at the pair of laughing women covered in blood and smelling rather distinctly of smoke and whiskey Thomas took Cora's hand again and began to pull her away. She glanced back at Vera and Rosamund until they vanished into the early morning dimness.

"Where's Sarah?"

"Down by Elsie's. The old bat's taken down about half a dozen of them from 'er front room."

Cora carried on running with him, weaving around the buildings until finally she saw the men that were the source of the trouble. Some had clearly been on horseback but by the look of things the horses had been spooked away or injured by the gunfire coming from the house at the end of the street.

Elsie was leaning out of a low window, shooting any man that got too close to the building expertly, Charles in the window frame next to her with a rather impressive shotgun doing the same. At the top of the house she could see Sarah doing much the same but at a greater range, Edith close by and hitting the men with fire in their hands. To Cora it seemed like they couldn't lose and everything suddenly seemed impossibly like it was going to be alright...

There was a crash and for a moment Cora thought she must have imagined it because she couldn't see any glass before she realised how foolish that thought really was. It wasn't exactly likely that the back of the house was made entirely of bricks after all and suddenly Charles spun around and faced an unknown foe, vanishing into the darkness of the house amidst cries. Edith ran out of bullets and looked around desperately for a moment before some words from Sarah made her disappear too. She shot out of the front door soon after and enough of the men turned away for Sarah to be able to pick them off in their distracted state.

The bullets flew through the air at Edith and Cora realised with a swell of terror that she was unknowingly running straight towards them.

"Oh Christ."

Thomas pulled on her hand but Cora pulled back. She could see where he intended to run but that wouldn't help anyone and instead she let go of his hand and ran again, for all she was worth, to the left of the house. Behind her she heard Thomas' muttered swearing before he got the message and started to run in the other direction, distracting them from Edith and grudgingly drawing their fire in more directions.

Cora felt her feet ache again and her lungs burn but this time she wasn't alone. Thomas was running, Edith was moving in circles, Gwen and Sybil had joined them and though the bullets were flying Cora felt as though she were untouchable. She kept going, not daring to look up at Sarah in case she faltered, until she felt as though she could run no more.

A single shot rang out behind her, louder than the other guns: the same gun she had heard earlier with Rosamund. She dared to look and saw Bates – one of the few left standing and not stopped by injury – … he wasn't holding the gun.

Instead Bates was falling in an inelegant arc towards the ground, the remaining men being swamped by the people of the town, and it was Tom Branson who held the shining silver gun. He looked a little surprised at his own actions but his hand was steady and his eyes didn't leave Bates as the man hit the ground and breathed his last. Unlike the man himself, his aim had been better.

Cora stopped running the moment he hit the ground.

Slowly they all congregated, leaving behind the dead men and hustling the remaining bandits towards the jail with Branson and Matthew at the forefront. Cora pushed through the crowds immediately and found Sarah utterly unharmed, throwing her arms around her neck with a cry of gratitude to whoever had kept her safe.

"Thank god."

"Shhh, it's alright love."

"I don't know if it is though," she was crying again but no one else seemed to have noticed as they all walked together towards the bar. Without Cora even noticing the sun had risen enough for them to be able to see properly and the town looked worse for the light. The bits that hadn't been touched still had the feel of vandalism to them and the smell of smoke, both fire and gunpowder, filled the air thickly. "Sarah, look at you bar!"

Sarah didn't even seem to have heard her and instead, hand never leaving Cora's, pulled her along in a less punishing jog towards Rosamund and Vera. She looked over them furiously before seeming to be pleased that they were alright even if they were both drifting in and out of consciousness. Sarah smiled down at them and turned back to Cora, finally looking up at the building that had been her life for so long. Cora squeezed her hand.

"I'm so sorry darling."

"It doesn't matter."

"Of course it does."

"It was a stupid bar. It's not important."

"But-"

Sarah cut her off with a kiss, wrapping her arms around her back and pulling her close desperately and Cora clung back. Nobody else mattered for the moment they were engrossed in nothing but each other and Cora gripped Sarah's back as tightly as she could, never wanting to let her go again.

"You're important darlin' and you and everyone else's alive and that's all that matters to me."

"I love you Sarah."

On the floor Cora could have sworn she heard Vera and Ros snickering but she ignored them.

"And I love you. Now come here."

Cora wrapped her arms around Sarah again, taking a moment to breathe and suddenly becoming highly aware that she'd been awake for almost twenty-four hours now. She rested her head on Sarah's shoulder, lovingly kissing her shoulder and speaking softly.

"Take me to bed?"

"Well, I'd apologise for arriving at a bad moment but we _were_ invited."

Cora spun around, recognising the voice instantly: her mouth dropped and her eyes went comically wide at the sight of her parents standing in front of a stagecoach looking like an oasis of impeccable grooming amongst all her ragged and tired friends. Her Mama was wearing her usual armour of fitted silk and her Papa even had a cravat the same colour as his wife and Cora wanted to cry at how wonderfully, _gloriously_ out of place and silly they suddenly seemed.

Rosamund was still half-covered in blood and pale-looking but better and brighter than she had been now she had Vera's smoke coloured forehead resting against her stomach as the former bandit continued to sleep off the whiskey. They'd both need a Doctor and it might be a while before Rosamund walked properly again but she had a feeling that Doctor-ordered, extended bed rest wasn't going to be a particularly unwelcome thing for Rosamund.

Tom was sat on the steps of the Sheriff's office, half with the people outside and half keeping an eye upon the living and injured villains inside, blood drying on his face and shirt from the bloody nose he'd received earlier but looking rather pleased with himself. Sybil hadn't attended to her torn dress and was sat next to the young man with a bowl of water and a cloth in hand, trying to clean him up but being swatted away as his hands wondered and she laughed.

Gwen, Edith and Thomas had blackened clothes and smudges on their cheeks but looked the least worse for wear and were examining the now smouldering bar with weary expressions, speaking to Carson who had a cut on his cheek and was propping up his similarly injured wife. They didn't look too bad, just exhausted and she was thankful that cuts, bruises, scratches, burns and a single gun wound was all of it.

All of them turned at once to the new arrivals curiously, hands reaching for pockets and boots to extract their weapons once more but Cora barely noticed. She leapt over the people still reposing on groups on the floor, stumbling slightly only once as she ran to reach her parents. Her Mama was holding her arms out for her and her Papa was smiling as though all the woes in the world had just disappeared. She threw herself into her Mother's embrace and clung to her tightly, resting her head on her Mama's much lower shoulder and feeling tears of utter joy – mingled in with relief and tiredness – begin to fall as her Mother stroked her hair.

"Good god Cora darling, I know things have been hard, but you could have run a comb through your hair."


	20. Chapter 20

Dear Mama and Papa,

The money for the bar finally came through! It turns out Violet – she used to own the bar and gave it to Sarah – insured it for quite a bit of money and didn't actually tell anyone so now we've got quite a bit of capital with my dowry. We did think about rebuilding the bar but Sarah's says it's the past and we're very eager to look to the future. And apart from anything else I think she rather enjoys living in Rosamund's house for free and if I recall you rather enjoyed staying here too!

So we're going to leave the town soon, go and see the world for a little bit and I know you'll approve because you love me and want me to be happy and I can't tell you how happy I am these days. Before with Robert feels like an entirely different life and it's not one I ever intend to return to. No looking to the past for either of us anymore! Just the future. I'll cable you when we get there.

All my love,

Cora

* * *

DEAR MAMA AND PAPA

ARRIVED IN LONDON THIS MORNING WITH SARAH ABSOLUTELY GIDDLY WITH EXCITEMENT STOP DIDN'T THINK IT POSSIBLE BUT SHE'S WORSE THAN PAPA STOP THINK LETTING HIM SEND HER THAT GUIDE BOOK MIGHT HAVE BEEN A MISTAKE STOP WILL BRING YOU SOME OF THE CHOCOLATE YOU LIKE STOP

LOVE CORA

SARAH AND CORA

WONDERFUL NEWS STOP GOT MARRIED THIS MORNING STOP ROSAMUND GAVE SYBIL A TROUSSEAU AND TOLD US TO FOLLOW YOU TWO IN YOUR WORLD TOUR STOP APPARENTLY IT'S MONEY SHE'S SAVED ON WHISKEY OVER THE YEARS STOP SEE YOU IN ATHENS STOP

TOM AND SYBIL BRANSON

* * *

The loved up oddity masquerading as my friend,

It really is a shame you can't walk properly and Vera's wanted on three continents because Paris really is beautiful and now we're filthy, stinking rich everything really is a joy and I wouldn't object to you two being here with us. You're not bad company as it goes, although Cora's lying here naked as I write this so I'm not missing you that much. Bless her, she doesn't even know I'm writing it down either but she is a bit distracted by the feather boa we picked up at the Moulin Rouge.

On an unrelated note I think I might have found your spiritual home.

I never realised there was so much of Paris to see but in the last month we've done nothing but discover new things (one of which you would probably charge $1000 for) and I couldn't ever have drawn these places quite right darling. There's so much life you wouldn't believe it and I've been trying to draw the view from our room to show you. I've sent one along of the Seine that I hope you like. I've been drawing other things here too but if you ever try to get near them I'll do your other leg.

Hopefully see you soon. If we're not back by Christmas then I promise to pay for you both to come and visit us wherever we are in the New Year when you're not such a pair of crocks.

As a matter of interest how are you managing your best move without the use of your leg?

Much love,

Sarah

PS: Gwen's going down a storm in the cafés over here by the way. Has her majesty had her big break yet?

* * *

Darling Thomas,

I know New York is wonderful my dear and I really am happy that you're getting on so well with my Mama (and Cousin Evelyn?) but you really should come over to see us in Florence as we're planning to stay for another month or so. I know we're extended this invitation from all our stops but we went down the Ponte Vecchio after dark for the first time last night and…let's just say I think you'd find plenty to occupy yourself with!

I love everything about Italy and I wish we could stay here forever – we're planning Rome next – because it really is the most romantic place in the world, no matter what people might say about Paris. The sun shines and it sometimes feels like there's passion running through the world like veins and this is the heart controlling it.

Your eyes are rolling aren't they?

Well I don't care darling. Sarah has discovered the most marvellous liquor and our balcony windows are thrown wide open with stars pouring in and there's music. Honest to god music. Someone is singing an aria in the street and I feel like my heart could stop with love.

But before it does I should get back to Sarah.

Lots of love darling,

Cora

* * *

DEAREST MAMA AND PAPA STOP

AFTER AN EXTENDED STAY IN FLORENCE SO SARAH COULD GET TO GRIPS WITH THE LEONARDO'S WE ARE FINALLY PREPARING OUR FINAL JOURNEY STOP I KNOW WE SAID IT WOULD BE LONDON AGAIN BUT WE DECIDED TO FOREGO IT STOP THERE'S ALWAYS NEXT YEAR STOP SO AFTER WHAT FEELS LIKE DECADES WE'RE COMING HOME TO NEW YORK STOP LOVE YOU AND SEE YOU SOON STOP

CORA AND SARAH

End.


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